Poland no longer has free missiles for its Patriot air defense systems that it can provide to Ukraine. This was stated by Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski in an interview with PAP, answering a question about whether Kiev can continue to count on military support from European Union countries, and in particular from Poland, against the background of the almost exhausted Ukrainian stocks of Patriot interceptor missiles, BTA reports.
According to Sikorski, the shortage of such missiles has deepened after the recent attacks related to Iran. He pointed out that Russia is producing missiles at a rate that exceeds NATO's ability to intercept them, and described the situation as a “serious problem“.
The Polish foreign minister noted that some NATO member states still have missiles for the Patriot systems, but Poland is not among them.
“Poland provides the maximum possible support to Ukraine, but in this particular case we can only join the calls for those countries that have Patriot missiles to share them with Ukraine“, said Sikorski.
Financial assistance for Ukraine
Regarding financial support for Kiev, Sikorski pointed out that the European Union's credit mechanism worth 90 billion euros has not yet been fully exhausted.
At the same time, he expressed confidence that the issue of transferring the frozen assets of the Central Bank of Russia to Ukraine will inevitably have to be discussed again.
However, according to Warsaw's top diplomat, it is unlikely that EU countries will reach a compromise on this issue before winter sets in.
“The European Commission is working to find non-standard solutions so that Belgium - which is currently blocking the agreement - does not feel left alone in the face of possible claims from Russia,“ he said.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the United States was delaying the delivery of missiles for the Patriot air defense systems. He specified that the ammunition had already been paid for by Ukraine's allies under the PURL program.
According to data provided by Zelensky, the United States is currently supplying Ukraine with only 12 Patriot interceptor missiles per month.