Poland to send 10 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine: Defense Minister
The recent arms package adds to the four Leopard 2 tanks Poland sent to Ukraine in late February.
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Defense Minister Mariusz BÅ‚aszczak photographed on March 8, 2023. (Government of Poland)
Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak announced Thursday the decision to supply Kiev with a new batch of 10 Leopard 2 tanks.
"We have transferred another 10 Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine," Blaszczak told journalists, noting that other NATO member-states will soon send their tanks to Ukraine, including eight tanks from Canada, eight from Norway, and six from Spain.
This adds up to a recent batch of four Leopard 2 tanks that Poland sent to Ukraine in late February.
On February 24, Blaszczak announced that Poland was the first European country to deliver the first four Polish Leopard 2 A4 tanks to Ukraine.
Prime ministers Denys Shmyhal of Ukraine and Mateusz Morawiecki of Poland in front of the first Leopards to arrive in Ukraine delivered by Poland today. pic.twitter.com/dawjuY4LbN
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) February 24, 2023
"Ukrainian soldiers are trained by Polish, Norwegian, and Canadian instructors in the training center in [Poland's] ÅšwiÄ™toszów" on how to operate the tanks, he noted.
The minister announced Yesterday that "The training program of Ukrainian soldiers on operating Leopard tanks has ended."
Wicepremier, szef MON Mariusz Błaszczak: Zakończył się proces szkolenia ukraińskich żołnierzy na czołgach Leopard#wieszwięcej #Ukraina 🇵🇱🇺🇦 @MON_GOV_PL @mblaszczak pic.twitter.com/5Qf9SrOTwD
— tvp.info 🇵🇱 (@tvp_info) March 9, 2023
Read more: Germany behind on NATO's obligations for number of combat-ready tanks
