The UK and Poland jointly agreed to provide Ukraine with several of their tanks with the aim of supporting Kyiv in its war against Russia.

In an interview with Voice of America earlier this week, Mykhailo Podolyak, an aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, confirmed that concrete decisions had been taken in this regard. He assured that Ukraine “will receive all the necessary weapons„. 

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During his recent visit to Lviv in the framework of the Lublin Triangle, Polish President Andrzej Duda announced that Poland would hand some of its German-made Leopard tanks to the Ukrainian forces.

„A company of Leopard tanks will be handed over as part of […] an international coalition,” Duda explained. According to NATO standards, a company consists of 14 tanks.

Duda further emphasised any decision to send the tanks to Ukraine would require Berlin’s approval, given that the latter controls the export licence for the Leopard. 

In the meantime, the British government also confirmed it was going to hand over tanks to Ukraine. According to Sky News, London will provide Kyiv with 10 of its Challenger 2 tanks.

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On Wednesday 11 January, British Defence Minister Ben Wallace spoke with Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak about possibly increasing both countries’ aid to Ukraine.

According to Poland’s Defence Ministry, both ministers exchanged about “issues related to bilateral military cooperation and the technical modernisation of the Polish Armed Forces”.

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Since Moscow launched its large-scale invasion of Ukraine, the UK and Poland have been leaders in the coordination of military and humanitarian support to Ukraine.  

Image: Wikipedia

Author: Sébastien Meuwissen