We have a full set for today – emphasized the head of the BBN Jacek Siewiera after the US president’s statement on the transfer of Abrams tanks to Ukraine and the earlier German statement on the transfer of Leopard tanks to Ukraine.
On Wednesday afternoon (Polish time), US President Joe Biden declared that he would supply Ukraine with 31 M1 Abrams tanks – a whopping 1 Ukrainian battalion. Earlier on Wednesday, Germany declared the transfer of its Leopard 2 tanks – and permission for their transfer from allies, including Poland.
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Following Germany’s decision, Siewiera wrote on Twitter:
After President Andrzej Duda’s statement on handing over the Leopards, after two weeks of hard work of Polish diplomacy, an equipment coalition of our NATO allies is formed.
The West is on the right side of history. And this is not the end for today…
– added.
Well, we have a set for today
– emphasized the head of the BBN, commenting on the subsequent US decision on Twitter.
PiS spokesperson: Good and expected decision
A good and expected decision – this is how PiS spokesperson Rafał Bochenek reacted in an interview with PAP to the US decision to transfer Abrams tanks to Ukraine. He stressed that today Ukraine is fighting for all of Europe and that it is in the interest of all of us to end this conflict and defeat the enemy.
US President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that the US will transfer 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. As announced by the White House, the tanks will be purchased for Ukraine, their delivery will take “months”, but training will begin soon.
This is a good and expected decision. Today, Ukraine is fighting for all of Europe, and it is in all of our interests to end this conflict and defeat the enemy
Bochenek emphasized. He added that any subsequent contingent of support is extremely important.
We cannot leave Ukraine alone
PiS spokesperson noted.
Bochenek judged that “Polish-American cooperation produces results.”
Deputy head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: also good news for Polish security
The decision on the transfer of Abrams tanks from the US to Ukraine is also very good news for Polish security; The faster these tanks help the Ukrainians drive out the aggressor, the further the Russians will be from Poland, Deputy Foreign Minister Paweł Jabłoński told PAP.
US President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that the US will transfer 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. As announced by the White House, the tanks will be purchased for Ukraine and their delivery will take “months”, but training will begin soon.
Earlier on Wednesday, the German government announced the delivery of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. In a first phase, Germany wants to supply Ukraine with 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks from the stocks of the Bundeswehr, government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said in a statement. Germany will also issue appropriate permits to partner countries that want to quickly deliver Leopard 2 tanks from their stockpiles to Ukraine.
Jabłoński was asked if the US transfer of Abrams tanks, as well as Germany’s agreement to the transfer of Leopard 2 tanks, could bring a breakthrough to the front in Ukraine.
This is a very good decision. We have also had very intensive talks with our allies over the past few weeks, encouraging them to make their support for Ukraine as strong as possible. And this is also very good news for Polish security, because the faster these tanks get to the Ukrainian army, the faster they will help Ukraine drive the Russians away, the further the Russians will be from Poland. This is very good news overall, which is such a happy end to the day
Jablonski said.
As he added, he is absolutely convinced that Ukraine can win the war with Russia with continued, consistent and adequate support.
The deputy head of the State Department was also asked about the importance and potential of the 31 Abrams tanks on the battlefield.
It will certainly be of great importance, because these are some of the best tanks in the world, much more modern than the tanks that Russia has
Jablonski said. But – as he noted – Russia “fights with masses, fights with numbers”, mobilizing hundreds of thousands of people and using old equipment, but in huge numbers.
He noted that – as President Biden said – Abrams tanks are not an offensive threat to Russia.
Ukraine is not on the offensive, only Ukraine is on the defensive. It defends itself because it has been attacked on its own territory and it uses weapons to push back Russia and reclaim territory that belongs to the Ukrainian people
Jablonski said.
On January 11, President Andrzej Duda announced in Lviv that Poland had decided to transfer a company of Leopard 2 tanks (10-14 tanks) to Ukraine as part of building an international coalition on the issue. As he emphasized: “We especially want it to be an international coalition.”
A meeting of the contact group defense support for Ukraine was held at the US base in Ramstein on Friday. However, it did not bring a solution in the form of Germany’s consent to the transfer of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine – which Ukraine had hoped for before the meeting. Since the leopards are manufactured by Germany, permission from Germany is required to transfer them to another non-NATO country.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told PAP this weekend that if Germany does not agree to transfer Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, Poland will form a “smaller coalition” of countries willing to donate some of their modern tanks to a fighting neighbor.
On Tuesday, Mariusz Błaszczak, deputy prime minister and head of the Ministry of National Defense, announced that Germany had already received a Polish request for permission to transfer Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Błaszczak appealed to the German side to join the coalition of countries that support Ukraine with tanks, as the security of all of Europe is at stake.
gah/PAP
Source: wPolityce