Polish President Talks About Possibility of Sending Soviet-Era Missiles to Ukraine

Warsaw is in talks with Kiev about transferring Soviet-era missiles from Polish warehouses to Ukraine, Polish President Andrzej Duda said at an international conference in Vilnius, Lithuania, on April 11.

At a press conference after the Three Seas Summit, Mr. Duda spoke about how to help Ukraine in its war with Russia.

“Today, during our bilateral meeting, we spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about Soviet-era missiles, which are now held by Poland and are in our warehouses. And we talked about their introduction into Ukraine’s air and missile defense,” the Polish leader said.

The Summit was attended by the Presidents of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, the Czech Republic and Romania, as well as representatives of the relevant countries, including Ukraine, represented by President Zelensky.

The Ukrainian leader has called on allies to deliver on their promise of military aid. He has previously warned of the problem of Ukraine's declining air defense missile capabilities. Earlier this month, Zelensky said Ukraine needed 25 US-made Patriot air defense systems to fully protect the country from enemy missile attacks.

Mr. Duda said that Poland is starting to deploy Patriot systems on its territory, but that the country itself needs air defense systems. During the times when Russia attacked its neighbor Ukraine, Poland had to activate its air defense systems to guard against stray missiles.

World - Polish President talks about the possibility of sending Soviet-era missiles to Ukraine — Polish President Andrzej Duda speaks at the Three Seas Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, April 11, 2024, alongside his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky and host country President Gitanas Nauseda. Photo: Polskie Radio

On the same day, April 11, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also spoke about additional aid to Ukraine, where Russia launched a “special military operation” more than two years ago.

“Poland is considering various possibilities, including non-standard ones, to support Ukraine with equipment and ammunition,” Tusk said at a joint press conference with European Council President Charles Michel.

“The whole continent is starting to think the same way about these major threats. Thanks to this change, our conversation about the EU’s strategic agenda will also revolve around a revolution in thinking. Europe must become the strongest political entity in the world because Europe has every opportunity to do so. Economically, financially, technologically, in terms of population, we are bigger than the United States and Russia combined,” Tusk said.

Poland has supplied heavy equipment to Ukraine and is seen as Kiev's most enthusiastic supporter among Western nations .

Minh Duc (According to Anadolu, Kyiv Independent)

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