(ANSA-AFP) - BRUSSELS, NOV 25 - NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg
said Friday it was up to Germany to decide if it wants to supply
Patriot missile defences to Ukraine, after Poland urged Berlin
to send them. Germany has offered to deploy the advanced US-made
Patriot system to Poland after a deadly blast believed to be
from a stray Ukrainian air defence missile hit a Polish village
last week. But the Polish authorities told Berlin to ship the
system to Ukraine instead to help Kyiv defend itself against the
barrages of Russian missiles hitting the country. "I welcome the
German offer to strengthen the air defences of Poland by
offering to deploy Patriot batteries," Stoltenberg said. But he
insisted that any plans to send specific weapons to Ukraine were
"national decisions". "Sometimes there are end users' agreements
and other things, so they need to consult with other allies, but
at the end of the day, it has to be taken by the national
governments," Stoltenberg said. Germany's defence minister said
on Thursday that Berlin would have to discuss with NATO any
proposals to send the Patriot system to Ukraine as it was part
of the alliance's integrated defences. NATO allies have already
funnelled billions of dollars' worth of arms to Ukraine to help
it fight back against the Russian invasion, including modern air
defence systems. (ANSA-AFP).
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