NATO’s protection of a major Ukraine aid route in Poland is due to include French air defenses from Jan. 1, French Ambassador Etienne de Poncins said Friday, Reuters reported.
Reuters described Rzeszow-Jasionka airport as a major transit point for Western aid shipments to Ukraine. French air-defense systems are expected to operate alongside U.S.-made Patriots. De Poncins said the deployment would provide an opportunity to test the systems’ interoperability and would be the first time France used its equipment for this purpose.
The ambassador did not specify how long France’s role would last. Dutch Patriot systems currently protect the airport, and Sweden is due to deploy its systems in December, Reuters reported.
