Poland holds tight to its Patriot batteries amid reported US call for Middle East transfer

WARSAW, Poland — Poland has denied plans to deploy its Patriot air-defense systems to the Middle East where Gulf countries could use them to shield themselves against Iranian attacks.

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, Poland’s priority is to protect Polish skies, according to Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, the country’s deputy prime minister and national defense minister.

“Our Patriot batteries and their armament serve to secure the Polish skies and NATO’s eastern flank. Nothing is changing in this field, and we do not plan to move them anywhere,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said in a social media post on March 31. “Our allies know well and understand how important are our tasks here.”

In March 2018, Poland signed a deal to purchase two Configuration 3+ batteries for around $4.75 billion. The nation launched the second phase of its mid-range air-defense program in May 2022 by requesting the United States to supply a further six Patriot batteries with related gear. In December 2025, Poland declared the first two batteries reached full operational readiness.

Kosiniak-Kamysz’s statement followed reports of informal requests originating from the U.S. government for the deployment of one of Poland’s batteries to the Middle East. Washington has unofficially asked whether Warsaw could also supply some of the PAC-3 MSE interceptors from the Polish military’s stock to Middle Eastern nations whose supply is being depleted by Iran’s attacks, local daily Rzeczpospolita reported.

At a March 31 press conference, Adam Szłapka, a spokesperson for the Polish government, said the Patriot systems “are to serve Poland’s security” and did not answer a question whether the U.S. had in fact requested such a transfer.

Some of the operators of Patriot systems in the Gulf region include Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.