Berlin said on Thursday that the Patriot air defense systems it has offered to Poland are intended for use on NATO territory, rejecting Warsaw’s request to send the system to Ukraine, Reuters reported. Germany has three times fewer such systems than when it was on NATO’s front line during the Cold War.

“These Patriot units are part of NATO’s integrated air defense, which means they are intended to be deployed on NATO territory,” German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said in Berlin.

“Any use outside NATO territory will require prior discussion with NATO and allies,” she added.

Berlin provided Warsaw with a Patriot missile defense system to help protect its airspace after a stray missile landed in Poland last week, killing two people.

Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on Wednesday that he has asked Germany to send Patriot units to Ukraine.

“After new Russian missile attacks, we asked Germany to hand over the Patriot batteries provided to Poland to Ukraine and place them on its western border,” Blaszczak wrote on Twitter.

On Monday, Poland said it would offer to deploy additional Patriot launchers near the border with Ukraine.

There are few Patriot systems in NATO

Ground-based air defense systems, such as the Patriot, are designed to intercept missiles in flight.

But NATO has few such systems because, after the Cold War, many NATO allies reduced their numbers to reflect an assessment that they would now face only a limited missile threat from countries such as Iran.

That perception changed dramatically with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, prompting NATO allies to rush to increase their stockpiles of ammunition and address a shortage of air defense systems.

Germany had 36 Patriot units when it was NATO’s frontline power during the Cold War, and even then it relied on NATO allies for support.

Today, the German military has 12 Patriot units left, two of which are stationed in Slovakia.

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