Poland confirmed delivery of the first Leopard tanks to Ukraine on Friday, as Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki visited Kiev to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
At a National Security Council meeting in Warsaw, President Andrzej Duda said: “The prime minister couldn’t be here, he went to Kiev to bring Leopard tanks, which are the first shipment to Ukraine.”
Shortly after Berlin approved the export of German-made main battle tanks, Ukrainian crews began training on the Leopard 2 tanks in Poland.
Morawiecki said four tanks were delivered. However, it was not immediately clear whether this was the modern Leopard 2 or its predecessor, the Leopard 1.
Duda had said in January that Poland would give its neighbor 14 leopards.
Poland: First Ukrainian soldiers train on Leopard tanks
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Prime Minister of Poland in Kyiv
During his visit to Kiev, Morawiecki met with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and laid a wreath at the Monument to the Fallen Defenders together with Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal.
Morawiecki said Poland will support Ukraine until it defeats Russia and will soon supply more tanks.
“On the anniversary of Russia’s vicious attack on Ukraine, I am in Kyiv to send a clear signal for continued support in Ukraine’s defense,” Morawiecki wrote on Twitter.
He said Poland is ready to train Ukrainian pilots in the F-16 fighter jets, while urging Kiev’s western allies to supply the plane.
“I underline that this should always be agreed within the broader coalition, but Poland is ready to conduct such training,” he told reporters.
Poland has been one of Ukraine’s strongest supporters since Russia started the war on February 24, 2022. Warsaw has repeatedly urged its NATO and EU allies to increase military aid to the war-torn country.
Why Ukraine advocates western fighter jets
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fb/rt (AFP, AP, dpa, Portal)