Poland offers to host Patriot factory for Ukraine
Photo: Patriot air defense systems (Getty Images)
Poland has offered to host a factory for producing missiles for Patriot air defense systems on its territory if Ukraine receives the necessary license from the United States, Poland's Deputy Defense Minister Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka said, according to RMF24.
According to her, Warsaw has already made the proposal. The idea is to build the facility not in Ukraine but on Polish territory, which the Polish side considers safer for such an installation.
"If such a factory is planned to be built in Ukraine, we propose building it on Polish territory so that it would be located in what is known as a safe area," Sobkowiak-Czarnecka said.
At the same time, the Polish official stressed that Warsaw's efforts to secure the ability to establish a service center and later produce Patriot missiles are a separate process. According to her, even a US decision to grant Ukraine a license would not mean that Poland would stop its efforts in this area.
"My interlocutors in Washington confirmed that even if such a decision is made regarding Ukraine, it will not change our efforts or cancel the approval for Poland," she said.
Patriot production in Ukraine
On September 23, the US said that no final decision had yet been made on granting Ukraine a license to produce Patriot missiles. US State Department spokesperson Ian Bateson said at the time that negotiations on the issue were ongoing.
The first signals of a possible decision on the license emerged after Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump met in New York on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly. According to an informed source cited by RBC-Ukraine, the sides made "some progress" on the production of missiles for Patriot systems in Ukraine.
On September 25, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that agreements had been reached with the US side. According to him, he discussed the licensing issue during his latest meeting with US President Donald Trump.
"Trump emphasized this during his latest meeting with me. There are specific agreements and progress," Zelenskyy said.
