Warsaw, 21 October. Poland cannot supply Ukraine with Patriot interceptor missiles because it lacks the resources itself, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said; according to him, other NATO members have such missiles available to send.
"There are countries in NATO that still have such resources to contribute, but Poland is not one of them," Sikorski told the Polish news agency PAP. He said the shortage of interceptor missiles worsened after the US and Israel attacked Iran in February, and that Russia was producing more missiles than Ukraine and its allies had means to neutralise them. "Poland supports Ukraine as much as it can, but here we can only join the calls for countries possessing Patriot missiles to share them with Ukraine," the minister added.
Patriot is a US air defence missile system capable of shooting down ballistic and cruise missiles; its interceptors are expensive and produced in limited numbers, so NATO countries themselves are short of them.
What it means: One of Kyiv's closest allies has declined to share air defence missiles, citing its own shortage.
Who benefits: The decision keeps the missiles for Poland's own defence; Ukraine is left without one of its possible suppliers at a time when strikes on its power system are intensifying.
Background: On 20 October strikes on Kyiv's energy grid stopped the metro and left part of the city without power.
List of sources used: Anadolu, TASS, Anadolu
Artificial intelligence was used in preparing this material.
