Mariusz Błaszczak was speaking after the latest meeting of the so-called Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The ninth such get-together since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the meeting was attended by officials from more than 50 countries, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
Leopard tanks for Ukraine
Poland's Błaszczak told reporters: “More countries have declared they will join this coalition" to provide Leopard 2s to Ukraine.
"After concrete declarations from Canada and Spain, today these two countries were joined by Norway," he added. “We are working to ensure that Finland also transfers this type of tanks.”
Earlier in the day, Norway’s Defence Minister Bjørn Arild Gram said his country would supply eight Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, together with four armoured personnel carriers and ammunition, the PAP news agency reported.
Gram promised that the tanks would be provided to the Ukrainian army in March.
Błaszczak, who is also a Polish deputy prime minister, told the media in Brussels: “We discussed various forms of support. We know that spare parts are a big challenge, as is ammunition. It all results in Europe rebuilding its defence capabilities, which had been reduced for years.”
“The Russian threat had been underestimated,” Błaszczak added, telling reporters that his political circle “was warning against this threat."
He also declared that Poland would “consistently support Ukraine and strengthen its own armed forces in terms of both numbers and equipment.”
Ammunition for Ukraine
Błaszczak welcomed NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg’s call to increase the alliance’s ammunition stockpile targets because he said Ukraine’s use of ammunition was “many times higher than our current rate of production.”
The Polish arms industry is also “taking part in this process, despite still insufficient capacity,” Błaszczak added.
F-16 combat aircraft
Referring to Ukraine's call for F-16 fighter jets, Błaszczak said this "requires putting pressure on allies, just like with the Leopard tanks and the Patriot air defence systems.”
He added: “Poland has only 48 F-16 fighter jets, but allies have much bigger potential.”
Błaszczak said he was convinced that negotiations on the issue “will result in positive decisions, provided that pressure is applied.”
‘Ukraine to launch offensive in spring’: Austin
Meanwhile, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told reporters in Brussels that Ukraine would likely launch a fresh offensive in the spring, the IAR news agency reported.
Austin said, as quoted by US broadcaster CNN: “What Ukraine wants to do at the first possible moment is to establish or create momentum and establish conditions on the battlefield that continue to be in its favor."
Austin added: “And so we expect to see them conduct an offensive sometime in the spring and because of that we are, we all of the partners in in the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, have been working hard to ensure that they have the armored capability, the fires, the sustainment to be able to be effective in creating the effects on the battlefield that they want to create.”
Russia has lost ‘strategically, operationally and tactically’ in Ukraine: Gen. Milley
Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of America’s joint chiefs of staff, said that Russia had lost “strategically, operationally and tactically” in Ukraine.
Talking to reporters in the Belgian capital alongside Austin, Milley said, as quoted by Britain’s The Guardian newspaper: “[Putin] was wrong. Ukraine remains free. They remain independent. NATO and its coalition has never been stronger,”
Milley added: “Now, Russia is a global pariah and the world remains inspired by Ukrainian bravery and resilience. In short, Russia has lost – they’ve lost strategically, operationally and tactically and they are paying an enormous price on the battlefield.”
Tuesday is day 356 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, CNN, The Guardian
Click on the audio player above for a report by Radio Poland’s Michał Owczarek.