A ship carrying the 14 Abrams machines sailed into Poland’s northwestern port of Szczecin on Wednesday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced the arrival of the tanks on social media.
He said in a tweet: “Mission accomplished. The armoured curtain in the form of Abrams tanks has arrived in Poland.”
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak, who attended the unloading of the American tanks in Szczecin, told reporters: “This is a historic day for the Polish Army. Poland has received the first batch out of hundreds of Abrams tanks.”
Błaszczak hailed the Abrams as “the best tank in the world.” He said: “Today’s event shows the strength of the Polish-American alliance that strengthens the security of Poland, but also of the entire eastern flank of NATO and the whole free world.”
The defence minister told those at the ceremony that “Poland is aware of the threats posed by Russia’s imperial policy” and added that "the Abrams tanks will help deter the aggressor.”
Abrams tanks for Polish army
In a television interview on Monday, Błaszczak said the first shipment would comprise “a company of 14 Abrams tanks,” out of a total of 116 modernised M1A1 Abrams machines ordered by Poland in January.
The defence minister stated: “Two more companies of M1A1 Abrams tanks will arrive later this year, adding up to a battalion. And another battalion will reach Poland in 2024.”
Błaszczak told public broadcaster TVP Info that next year would also see the arrival of the first batch of M1A2 Abrams tanks ordered by Poland last year and slated for delivery from 2024 to 2026. Poland ordered 250 such state-of-the-art tanks at the time, according to officials.
Poland was the first country in Europe and the first NATO ally after the United States to buy Abrams tanks, the PAP news agency reported.
On Monday, Poland signed an agreement with America's General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS), the manufacturer of the Abrams battle tank, to build a service centre for the machines in the western city of Poznań.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
Wednesday is day 490 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, niezalezna.pl, gov.pl
