The Polish Ministry of Defense denied the statement of its head, Mariusz Blashak, about the arrival of the first Patriot anti-aircraft installations in Ukraine. About this writes the publication “Ukrinform”.
“The aim of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Mariusz Blaszczak was to indicate that it was decided, thanks to the efforts of Poland, to transfer the Patriot battery,” the ministry told a publication in Ukraine.
On March 7, the Spanish newspaper LA RAZON published report With Blaschak, who said that the first deliveries of American air defense systems and German tanks had already been made, the equipment was already on the territory of Ukraine.
“I must emphasize that thanks to the efforts of Poland, among other things, Patriot batteries or the first Leopard tanks reached Ukraine. We are not only the main point of the transfer of aid, but also one of its largest suppliers, ”said he.
The Minister noted that Warsaw has transferred 2.2 billion euros worth of weapons to Kiev, and this amount does not yet include the cost of training Ukrainian soldiers, as well as the supply of Leopard 2A4 tanks serving in the Polish army.
Blashak also said that support to Ukraine with weapons and political methods should continue. At the same time, in his opinion, the decision on the supply of fighters for the Armed Forces of Ukraine should not be made at the level of individual countries, but by a broader coalition.
Following the publication of a denial from the Polish Ministry of Defense, Blaszczak stated that Warsaw will send 10 more tanks to Kiev this week, four of which are already in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
“Agreed with the Minister” [обороны ФРГ Борисом] I will be responsible for forming a coalition of countries with Leopard 2A4 tanks to Pistorius and Minister Pistorius – Leopard 2A6 tanks. I did it for the formation of such a coalition, 14 Polish tanks, four of which are already in Ukraine, 10 of them will fall into Ukraine this week, ”the statement said.
General James Hecker, Commander of the US Air Forces for Europe and Africa, said that in line with the statements from Warsaw, the Ukrainian Armed Forces is already using the bombs promised by the US.
“Recently, we transferred precision-guided munitions that have an extended range and hit targets slightly further away than a gravity-reduction bomb, with increased accuracy,” Hecker said.
We are talking about Extended Range Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM-ER) bombs that can hit a target up to 72 kilometers away. According to the general, the Ukrainian troops have a limited amount of this ammunition at their disposal, but they can take a few hits with them.