It is Poland’s biggest arms export deal in years, according to the Dziennik Gazeta Prawna newspaper, which carried the news on Thursday.
Polish gun howitzers for Ukraine
Poland will supply the 54 Krab self-propelled gun howitzers over the next several months or so, while ammunition will likely be delivered by the United States, Dziennik Gazeta Prawna reported, as quoted by Polish state news agency PAP.
The Krab gun howitzers are capable of firing at a range of up to 40 kilometres. They are produced by Poland’s state-run arms maker PGZ, and feature South Korean chassis and German engine parts.
For this reason, both Seoul and Berlin had to approve Poland’s new export contract with Ukraine, according to Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
Polish security assistance to Ukraine
Poland last week sent 18 Krab gun howitzers to Ukraine, as part of its security assistance for the country, public broadcaster Polish Radio reported at the time.
The costs of this delivery may be partly covered by the European Union, according to Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
The latest EUR 650 million export deal, meanwhile, was signed in Kyiv, where Poland and Ukraine government ministers held wide-ranging talks on Wednesday.
Polish-Ukrainian consultations in Kyiv
Poland became the first country to hold such cross-government talks with Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in late February, reporters were told.
8 memorandums of cooperation
Led by Prime Ministers Mateusz Morawiecki and Denys Shmyhal, Polish and Ukrainian government officials signed eight memorandums on bilateral cooperation, the PAP news agency reported.
Policy areas covered by these agreements include energy, defence, trans-border and customs cooperation, ecology, regional policy, postwar reconstruction of Ukraine, and cooperation on national remembrance.
Poland's Morawiecki told a news conference in Kyiv on Wednesday that these documents could "pave the way for a new Polish-Ukrainian treaty.”
Morawiecki also said that “Poland is a true friend for Ukraine, and Ukraine is a true friend for Poland.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Shmyhal said that, over the past three months, the two neighbours had raised their relations “to a new level, one that is growth-oriented and productive.”
Thursday is day 99 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Poland on Thursday reported it had welcomed more than 3.77 million refugees fleeing Russia's war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, finanse.wp.pl, defence24.pl