UPDATE - Poland to accept German Patriot air defense system

UPDATES WITH US APPROVAL FOR SALE OF US-MADE BATTLE TANKS TO POLAND

By Gozde Bayar and Dilara Hamit

ANKARA (AA) - Poland will accept a Patriot missile defense system that Germany offered to deploy to the country last month, the country's defense minister said Tuesday.

"I was disappointed to accept the decision to reject the support of Ukraine," Mariusz Blaszczak said on Twitter.

"Placing the Patriots in western Ukraine would increase the security of Poles and Ukrainians," he added.

He said the two sides were proceeding with arrangements regarding the placement of the launchers in Poland "and connecting them to our command system."

Germany's offer to send the Patriot missile defense system to Poland set off a political storm in Warsaw after a stray missile from Ukraine landed in Polish territory, killing two people.

Blaszczak welcomed the move, saying the system should be deployed to the Ukrainian border.

The Law and Justice Party (PiS), the largest member of the ruling coalition, which does not want the nationalist electorate to break away from it, gave an unexpected response to Germany's offer.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who heads the PiS, said it would be better for Germany to hand over the air defense system to Ukraine.

German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said on Nov. 24 that "these Patriot missile defense systems are part of NATO's air defense and are intended for NATO regions."

The Patriot system offered to Poland was part of NATO's integrated air defense and only to be deployed on NATO territory.

Late last month, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that if Germany did not deliver the Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine, his country would accept it.

Blaszczak later also announced on Twitter that the US government had given the go-ahead for the addition of 116 Abrams tanks to the nation's military. According to Blaszczak, the Polish Armed Forces are yet to be fully armored.

He emphasized the importance of military strength, saying that the sale of the tanks was approved by US authorities and that they were still negotiating the price.