The Polish president visited Berlin on Monday where he held talks with his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Leszek Szymański/PAP

Germany’s offer to provide Poland with a Patriot air-defence battery is seen as a very important gesture from an ally, Polish President Andrzej Duda has said.

The Polish president visited Berlin on Monday where he held talks with his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

“Today I’m in Berlin also to ask the (German) president to thank the German government for their decision to send the German Patriot battery to protect Poland,” Duda said.

Germany said it can deploy one of its US-made Patriot batteries together with a few jet fighters near Poland’s eastern border after a Soviet-era missile exploded near a village in eastern Poland, killing two people. The Polish and US authorities say it was most likely a stray Ukrainian air defence missile.

“Luckily, it was only an accident, but it is obvious for everyone that bolstering Poland’s anti-missile and anti-aircraft defence is extremely important for building up our security,” Duda said.

Polish and German experts will meet in coming days to decide where to deploy the Patriots, according to Duda.