Germany to withdraw Patriots from Poland by June
Germany wants to pull its Patriot missile air-defence system out of Poland by June, a spokesman for the German defence ministry said on Friday.
The spokesman, quoted by the Funke media group, said the reason for the withdrawal lay in Berlin "wanting to make the best-possible use of its limited military resources."
He added that Poland and Slovakia, which also has the Patriot system, have been notified about the decision.
The Patriots will be withdrawn from Slovakia by the end of the year, the spokesman added.
Germany deployed its Patriots in Poland in January after a stray Ukrainian surface-to-air missile landed on Polish territory last November.
Commenting on the decision, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmerman, the head of Germany's defence committee, said it had been dictated by "the need for flexibility as we don't have an unlimited supply of equipment." (PAP)
