Poland says ready to supply Leopard tanks to Ukraine

Krakow/Berlin, Jan 11 (EFE).- Poland is ready to provide Ukraine with a company of Leopard tanks as part of an international coalition, the president said Wednesday during a meeting with his Ukrainian and Lithuanian counterparts.

Andrzej Duda’s comments from Lviv, in western Ukraine, came after Germany, which manufactures the tank and would have to authorize the transfer, said it had yet to receive an official request from Warsaw.

“As part of an international coalition, we have decided to include a first batch of tanks, a company of Leopards,” he said at a press conference with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Gitanes Nauseda, adding that he hoped more countries would follow suit.

Zelenskyy thanked his partners for staying by “our side on our path to victory.”

Poland has more than 250 Leopard 2 tanks, according to estimates.

Kyiv has long asked for the provision of tanks from its Western allies. Their delivery would mark a substantial boost in firepower in the war against Russia’s invasion.

While Polish authorities did not specify the number of tanks it plans to hand to Ukraine, a company is usually made up of 20 vehicles.

Poland’s announcement heaps further pressure on Germany to contribute further to the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine. EFE

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