The more leopards are raised for Ukraine, the better, Presidential Minister Marcin Przydacz, head of the International Policy Bureau, stressed in an interview with Bogdan Rymanowski on Radio ZET, referring to the issue of transferring tanks to Ukraine.
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Tanks for Ukraine
Let us not forget that on Wednesday, January 11, President Andrzej Duda announced in Lviv that Poland had decided to transfer a company of “Leopard” tanks (10-14 tanks) to Ukraine as part of building an international coalition on this issue. As he emphasized: “We especially want it to be an international coalition.” The president pointed out that what matters is that such a coalition provides a total number of tanks that together form a significant force – as he pointed out, it is a brigade battlegroup.
On January 13, the head of the president’s cabinet, Paweł Szrot, stated that such a coalition already exists, and that it includes Finland and Denmark – countries that also have leopards in their armies. These tanks also have e.g. Spain, Norway, Sweden and Germany.
Since the leopards are manufactured by Germany, it is important that Germany agrees to transfer them to a non-NATO country. German Vice-Chancellor and Green Party Minister of Economic Affairs Robert Habeck said Germany “must not stand in the way of this issue”. The talks on this were announced in Berlin on Monday by Prime Minister Morawiecki
Support for the initiative to supply Ukraine with modern tanks was also expressed by the Pentagon and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. In turn, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that he would donate British Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine.
Przydacz stressed that Poland is ready to hand over the tanks “on the basis of a good example”, but Ukraine needs “dozens, hundreds of units”.
The Secretary General of NATO talks about a crucial phase of the war and this equipment is really needed today. It’s not about wanting to do something fun. The second phase is coming, the second Russian offensive. At the moment, Russian troops are actually training in Belarus, including the Belarusian army. I don’t want to say publicly where we expect the attack from, but it will certainly be launched in the near future. If Ukraine does not defend itself, the consequences will be absolutely unpredictable
said the minister.
The politician added that Poland is helping Ukraine so that “Russia stays within its borders, and not that we don’t just have it in Brest, but that we prevent Russians from being in Lviv or Lutsk, on the Polish border.”
When asked if leopards for Ukraine are not just a drop in the ocean of its needs, the minister explained:
It’s not just any drip. Thanks to this equipment, Ukraine defended its independence and launched a counter-offensive. In this way she regained Kherson and Kharkiv Oblast. Of course, this aid is not enough for Ukraine.
The Chancellor of Germany
Asked if, in his opinion, Chancellor Olaf Scholz met a Pole while jogging, who thanked him for not letting the Polish government drive him crazy, Przydacz said it was difficult for him to “undermine the memory of the chancellor”.
I can imagine that there are PR people who can come up with such things. This is a kind of rhetorical trick. Poles mostly support the course of aid to Ukraine. He was certainly not a voter of President Duda
– noted Marcin Przydacz.
READ MORE: What an absurdity! Will Berlin relinquish the Leopards? German media: Scholz referred to a conversation with a Pole he met while jogging
Amendment of the law on the Supreme Court
The conversation also touched on the amendment of the law on the Supreme Court. When asked about President Andrzej Duda’s actions, Przydacz said that “the president has some sort of opinion on specific provisions. We’ll see what form it takes to the president’s office.” He explained which records were the problem.
We are talking about the transfer of disciplinary powers from the Supreme Court to the Supreme Administrative Court, the issue of the impartiality test, the possibility of undermining the status of judges appointed after 2016
– said the minister, adding that this law “cannot lead to a formula of destabilization in the justice system”, but “on the other hand, President Andrzej Duda looks at the law through the prism of the interest of the Polish state and what positive effects it can bring.”
Does the president feel cheated by the EC?
When asked whether “the president has no confidence in Ursula von der Leyen”, the minister stressed that “confidence was undermined in the spring, when certain decisions were taken, which were not implemented under pressure from the head of the European Commission from the EP.”
Discussions were held with the Commission during the legislative process when this law was under consideration in the Sejm and the Commission was aware of these minor corrections or amendments. For 95 percent I would say this law in its framework was in line with these talks and arrangements. Something has indeed changed in one area, but in our opinion that should not lead to such a radical reaction from the European Commission. After all, let’s be honest, the European Commission did not change its mind because it saw a change in Polish regulations, but because it was blackmailed and pressured by the European Parliament, unfortunately with the large participation of part of the Polish opposition, which is not in the Polish interest
– said Marcin Przydacz in “Guest of Radio Zet”.
The case of Andrzej Poczobut
The conversation also covered today’s trial of Andrzej Poczobut, a journalist and activist from the Polish minority in Belarus. Przydacz assured that this issue “has been the subject of Polish diplomacy efforts for many, many months.”
Just as we tried to free many other Polish activists from the Union of Poles in Belarus. Three Polish activists were brought to Poland. Angelika Borys was also released from prison. In the case of editor Poczobut, a man I also know personally and have met many times, he is a citizen of Belarus, but a Polish patriot who cares about the Polish identity, the Polish language and the history in Belarus. Russia. Here the autocratic authorities of Belarus are absolutely implacable, but we will not end our activities here either, on the contrary, we will try to release Mr. Poczobut all the time
— emphasized the presidential minister and added that unofficial talks are being held with Belarus, but he does not want to disclose the details. As the minister added: “These are clearly not contacts at the highest political level, because today Polish-Belarusian relations are in that and no other state.”
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— New information about Andrzej Poczobut. The journalist wrote a letter: The criminal case will be heard by the Circuit Court, perhaps in two months
wkt/Radio ZET
Source: wPolityce