Poland set to buy US Patriot missile defence systems worth up to $15 billion

Poland, in a deal announced on Wednesday by the Pentagon, is set to buy an advanced Patriot missile defence systems worth up to $15 billion.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency released a statement saying that the sale would involve up to 48 Patriot PAC-3 launchers and up to 644 Patriot PAC-3 MSE projectiles, along with radars and control components for the systems.

The agency further added that the State Department, which is authorised to approve US arms export deals, had okayed the sale. This will give Poland some of the most advanced US air defence systems.

"The proposed sale will improve Poland's missile defence capability and contribute to Poland’s military goals of updating capability while further enhancing interoperability with the United States and other allies," the agency said in a statement.

The Patriots are curated for use against incoming high-speed projectiles and aircraft.

Poland gets first batch of Abrams

On Wednesday, Poland also received the first shipment of US-made advanced Abrams tanks. The defence minister said that it is a boost to the nation's military capabilities amid the Russia-Ukraine war.

Poland's Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak told reporters, "The first tanks are already on Polish soil, it's an important day for the Polish army. This year we will have more tanks and they will form a battalion of Abrams tanks," Blaszczak said, hailing the US-made Abrams as "the best tanks in the world."

The authorities in Warsaw ordered a total of 366 Abrams tanks from the US, with the first batch comprising 14 tanks which arrived at the port city of Szczecin. The shipment is part of a deal worth $1.4 billion for 116 M1A1 Abrams tanks that were previously used by the US Marine Corps.

Poland says Wagner troops in Belarus 'threat' to countries of the region

Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Wednesday (June 28) during a visit to Ukraine that the presence of Wagner troops in Belarus could be a potential "threat" to the countries of the region.

Duda told reporters in Kyiv, "It is difficult for us to exclude today that the presence of the Wagner Group in Belarus could pose a potential threat to Poland, which shares a border with Belarus, a threat to Lithuania... as well as potentially to Latvia."

On Tuesday, a jet belonging to Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin flew out of Rostov and landed near Minsk, which was later confirmed by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko. The Belarusian leader was quoted as saying by the state media Belta that Prigozin was currently in Belarus.

He said that "security guarantees have been given" as promised to Russian President Vladimir Putin. "I see Prigozhin's been flying aboard this plane - yes, indeed he’s in Belarus today," he further added.

Lukashenko mentioned that Belarus is not building any camps for the group, but will accommodate them if they want. However, their presence itself has become a matter of concern for the Polish President.

(With inputs fromagencies)

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