Poland confirms transfer of Patriot missiles to Ukraine and releases list of all donations since 2022

The Polish government has confirmed that it has transferred missiles for Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine. At the same time, it released a list of all Polish military donations to Ukraine since 2022, in an effort to show that the former Law and Justice (PiS) government gave much more equipment.

The move was prompted by criticism from PiS, which is now the main opposition party, over the transfer of Patriot missiles to Kyiv. PiS argues that this has weakened Poland’s defences against a potential Russian attack.

On Saturday, reports began to emerge that Poland had transferred PAC-3 MSE missiles, which are used in Patriot batteries, to Ukraine. Poland currently operates two US-made Patriot batteries, and is awaiting delivery of six more. Two further Patriot batteries have been temporarily deployed in Poland by the Netherlands.

“If the information…is confirmed, we will be dealing with an enormous scandal,” tweeted Mariusz Błaszczak, a former PiS defence minister and now head of the party’s parliamentary caucus.

“If the government has indeed decided to transfer them abroad in a situation where it itself warns of possible Russian provocations and threats to Poland’s security, this sounds like an action completely contrary to the basic duty of the authorities, namely ensuring the safety of their own citizens,” he added.

The alleged transfer was also criticised by Krzysztof Bosak, one of the leaders of the far-right Confederation, another opposition group, who noted that PAC-3 missiles are the only ones that Poland possesses which are capable of countering Russia’s Iskander missiles.

On Sunday, as criticism grew from the opposition and senior aides to President Nawrocki, defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced that, following consultations with Prime Minister Donald Tusk, he had ordered the declassification of all military donations by Poland to Ukraine since 2022.

“The process of donating equipment was initiated by the PiS government, with [Defence] Minister Mariusz Błaszczak at the fore,” he added. “The president – ​​currently Karol Nawrocki, previously Andrzej Duda – is informed about each donation.”

Kosiniak-Kamysz said he had also ordered the Military Counterintelligence Service (SKW) to “investigate who was intentionally trying to disclose state secrets”.

On Monday, Kosiniak-Kamysz unveiled the details of all Polish military donations to Ukraine since 2022. He noted that equipment worth 16.5 billion zloty (€3.8 billion) had been transferred in total, but that only 1.6 billion zloty of that had come under the current government in the period 2024-26.

In 2022-23, when PiS was in power, 14.9 billion zloty-worth of hardware was handed to Ukraine, including large numbers of tanks, armoured personnel carriers, MiG-29 aircraft, artillery, as well as ammunition. Poland was, at the time, one of Ukraine’s biggest donors.

The defence minister said it was “hypocritical” for Błaszczak, “who donated 10 times more [to Ukraine] than me”, to now criticise the transfer of equipment to Ukraine. Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasised, however, that “there is nothing to be ashamed of” in supporting Ukraine’s defence against Russian aggression.

“Poland’s enemy is not Ukraine. Russia is Poland’s enemy,” said the defence minister. “Poland must be united in its security because, if it is divided, it will become defenceless.”

He also confirmed that Poland had transferred an unspecified number of PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine, saying that it had done so at the request of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and US Supreme Allied Commander Europe Alexus Grynkewich.

Kosiniak-Kamysz said that the number of missiles given to Ukraine was only a “marginal” amount for Poland and “does not impact our air defence capabilities”.

Deputy defence minister Cezary Tomczyk later told broadcaster TVN that Poland had assurances from NATO and the US that “we would receive ten times more missiles and systems of this type within the first 24 hours if Poland were threatened”.

Błaszczak, however, declared that the defence ministry’s announcement entirely missed the point of the opposition’s criticism.

He told broadcaster Polsat News that Tusk and other government figures have recently been warning about a potential Russian attack on Poland. Yet the government had now given away precisely the missiles that would help defend from such an attack.

Meanwhile, Bosak criticised Kosiniak-Kamysz for failing to specify how many missiles were given to Ukraine. Both Confederation and PiS have demanded a special sitting of parliament during the summer recess to discuss the issue.

Daniel Tilles

Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.