France to protect NATO hub in Poland from January, official says

France ​will take charge ​of defending Poland's ‌Rzeszow airport, ​the main hub for deliveries of Western aid ‌to Ukraine, as part of a NATO mission, the French ambassador in Warsaw said on ‌Friday. "Starting January 1, as part of ‌NATO, France will take charge of air defence in the area around Rzeszow, marking the first time ⁠that ​French ⁠equipment will be used for this purpose," Ambassador Etienne ⁠de Poncins told reporters in Warsaw.

He said ​French air defence systems would work ⁠jointly with US-made Patriots, providing an opportunity to test ⁠the interoperability ​of the two systems. He did not specify how long French protection ⁠would remain in place. At present, Dutch Patriot ⁠systems ⁠are protecting Rzeszow-Jasionka airport, while Sweden will deploy its systems next month.