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Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski announced that the country will soon open an anti-missile defense base (ABM) and expressed hope that it would be capable of intercepting Russian missiles heading towards Poland.
This statement was made during a broadcast on Radio Rebeliant.
As previously reported, following the NATO summit in Washington in July, it was announced that the new U.S. anti-missile defense facility in Redzikowo, Poland, is operational and ready to defend the Alliance.
“In the coming weeks, we will open the anti-missile defense base in Redzikowo near Puck. This is a base we agreed on with the U.S.,” Sikorski informed.
According to the Foreign Minister, he has also held talks with the U.S. about ensuring that the ABM systems can intercept Russian missiles flying towards Poland, not just Iranian missiles “heading towards the U.S.”
However, it is unclear what response the Polish side received to this request.
Sikorski noted that critics accused Poland of “ruining the base project,” but he emphasized that it has already been built and will officially open “any moment now.”
Redzikowo is located in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, 4 km from Słupsk and 150 km from Gdańsk.
As is known, the U.S. ABM base in Redzikowo was operational for NATO as of July 2024. It is part of NATO’s broader missile defense shield, designed to detect, track, and intercept ballistic missiles. It has an exclusively defensive nature and is manned by about 200 military personnel.
Following Russia’s massive missile attack on Ukraine on August 26, Poland reported a violation of its airspace by an “airborne object,” likely a “Shahed” drone.
In response, Sikorski stated in an interview with Financial Times that Poland should consider intercepting Russian missiles over Ukrainian territory to prevent them from entering Polish airspace, especially given that shooting them down over Poland increases risks for Polish citizens.
At the time, the spokesperson for Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Paweł Wroński, clarified that Sikorski’s comments did not reflect the official position of the Polish government. NATO also warned that such actions could have consequences for the entire Alliance.
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