Warsaw came out in Washington with an offer that could find where missiles will be created for Patriot systems for the east flank. Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka proposed to the American side a joint reinforcement task involving Kiev, and the main argument became its location. The point is to keep delicate production from the front.
Offer made in the U.S. capital
The talks were held in Washington, D.C., where the Polish delegation met with partners at the Pentagon and the State Department. The core of the proposal is the joint venture of 3 countries in the manufacture of interceptor missiles for Patriot batteries. The Vice-Chief of MON spoke of "cooperation in a triangle" in which Poland would be next to the United States and Ukraine. The location of production itself is to be a consequence to American concerns, because, as she noted, production should be "in a safe place". The offer came during the same visit, which besides dealt with the case of the permanent presence of US troops on the Vistula River.
Why Safe Place
The thought came out of nowhere. At the July NATO summit in Ankara, Donald Trump announced that he would like to link the production of Patriots to Ukraine and even place a mill there. However, a plant placed close to the front lines would be an easy mark for Russian rockets and drones. Russian attacks on Ukrainian manufacture and energy proceed continuously, so a strategical investment in the east of the country would be constantly threatened. Warsaw proposes a compromise: technology and part of the supply chain stay common, but the installation of delicate weapons moves to the ground covered by the Alliance's umbrella. It's an argument that weighs a lot in American hazard calculations. The Polish side convinces that it is thus "against fears" of the partner.
Interest in Kiev
Ukraine has been seeking more air defence systems for months and the missiles themselves, the production of which does not keep pace of consumption. president Volodymyr Zelenski repeatedly pointed out that the supply of interceptor rockets is besides modest to the scale of Russian raids. Participation in the tripartite task would give Kiev access to a unchangeable origin of ammunition and a place at the table where technological decisions are made. For a country conducting a war, it is simply a possible of real strengthening, even if assembly lines would stand on the Polish side of the border. The Ankara Declaration showed that Washington himself wants to see Ukraine among the beneficiaries of this production.
Poland at the intersection of interests
More than an industrial contract is at stake for Warsaw. The country, which itself expands its own batteries in the Vistula programme, wants to become a service and production facility for the full east flank. Sobkowiak-Czarnecka convinced the interviewers that this geography and the fast improvement of the home armory were conducive to this. Batteries purchased in the Vistula programme are already covering the Polish sky, and experience in their operation strengthens Warsaw's negotiating position. There was besides an thought to find the Patriot Service Centre on the Vistula River. If the task had started, Poland would have gained a lever that no acquisition of finished equipment gives: a real part in producing a delicate component of the western anti-aircraft defense.
From Declaration to Rocket
The proposal remains an offer for now, and the way from the thought to the first finished bullet is long and costly. Bloomberg's agency pointed out that the restoration of production capacity comparable to the US took years due to the fact that the supply chain is complicated. On the American side, the work is to be directed by a squad associated with the Pentagon and Elbridge Colby, and the Ministry of Defence in Warsaw has set up its own working group. If Washington takes the offer seriously, Poland will decision from the position of receiver of arms to the function of co-host of 1 of the most crucial defence systems in Europe. Whether or not they'll decide the next fewer months of ocean talk.
Source: To Things
