Norway sends F-35s, 100 soldiers to guard Polish airport near Ukraine

Norway will assume responsibility under NATO to safeguard the airspace of Poland's Rzeszów airport and will send 100 soldiers, air defence systems and F-35 fighter jets to do so, the Norwegian defence minister announced on Monday.

The airport, some 100 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, is central to the transport of military goods. Various NATO allies are taking turns in providing Poland with air protection, Defence Minister Bjørn Arild Gram said in a statement.

"The airport is also central to the medical evacuation efforts that Norway is responsible for," Gram added.

The NASAMS air defence systems, the soldiers and fighter planes will be sent in the next days and the Norwegian mission, which will operate in Polish airspace, will last until Easter, Gram said.

US soldiers are currently stationed there, and the airport is protected by US Patriot air defence units. Germany also announced last week that it would relocate Patriot systems to south-eastern Poland at the beginning of the year.

Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz thanked Norway in a post on X.

"From December, the security of our borders will be further strengthened. Four Norwegian F-35s and their air defence systems will protect our space and NATO's eastern flank. Many thanks to our allies from Norway!"

Poland is a significant political and military ally of Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia for more than two and a half years. Warsaw also plays a crucial role as a logistical hub for Western military aid to Kiev.