Poland confirms Patriot missile transfer to Ukraine

Poland has confirmed that it supplied Ukraine with a small number of Patriot air defence missiles earlier this year as part of a joint military assistance package coordinated by several NATO allies.

Deputy Defence Minister Cezary Tomczyk said Warsaw transferred between three and nine Patriot missiles to the Ukrainian Armed Forces during the spring of 2026, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

"Between three and nine – that is how many Patriot missiles we supplied to Ukraine," Tomczyk told RMF FM radio.

He said Poland had received assurances from the United States that the missiles would be replaced at a ratio of ten to one should the country face a security threat.

The disclosure follows a decision by Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz to declassify details of Poland's military assistance to Ukraine after opposition politicians and members of President Karol Nawrocki's administration accused the government of supplying Patriot missiles to Kyiv.

The shipment came under a U.S.- and NATO-backed arrangement under which Washington pledged to provide Poland with ten replacement missiles for every interceptor transferred if the country faces a security threat, with deliveries promised within 24 hours. Despite the favourable terms, analysts noted that five missiles are insufficient to fully equip a single Patriot launcher.

The transfer comes as Ukraine grapples with a severe shortage of Patriot interceptors, the only weapons in its arsenal capable of intercepting ballistic missiles. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly appealed to the United States for additional interceptors and permission to manufacture Patriot missiles domestically. U.S. President Donald Trump recently said Washington would grant Ukraine a licence to produce Patriot missiles, aiming to strengthen the country's long-term air defence capabilities.

By Aghakazim Guliyev