Mariusz Błaszczak made the announcement at the close of a two-day meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels, Belgium, on Wednesday, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
Battalion of Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine
He told the media: “We talked about the coalition of countries donating Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. I would like to announce that we have assembled a battalion of Leopard 2A4 tanks. This was the task that I had set myself and it has been accomplished.”
Błaszczak said: “In addition to the 14 Leopard tanks that will be transferred by Poland, Norway has pledged to provide eight tanks, Canada four and Spain between four and six tanks. Finland will also take part in the project as a donor of tanks providing support to the tank battalion.”
Błaszczak, who is also Poland’s defence minister, added that Ukrainian soldiers were being trained on Leopard 2 tanks in Poland by instructors from Poland, Canada and Norway.
He told reporters that the Brussels meeting also focused on strengthening NATO’s defence and deterrence policy and preparations for the summit of the alliance, which will take place in Vilnius, Lithuania, in the summer.
Błaszczak said he had "expressed Polish support" for two proposed new NATO initiatives, the creation of shared weapons storage facilities and the sharing of information from satellite reconnaissance.
The Polish defence minister signed a letter of intent regarding these plans, the IAR news agency reported.
'Window of opportunity to tip the balance’: NATO chief
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters that “time is of the essence” and Ukraine has a “window of opportunity to tip the balance”, adding that he welcomed the new pledges of support made by NATO allies, “including more weapons and military training."
Stoltenberg announced that NATO countries were increasing the production of 155 mm artillery rounds and needed to boost that production even more to help Ukraine.
“Artillery shells 155 are increasing,” he said, as quoted by Britain’s The Guardian newspaper.
Stoltenberg added: “Yes, things are happening but we need to continue, we need to step up even more. This is now becoming a grinding war of attrition and a war of attrition is a war of logistics.”
Ukraine has ‘good chance’ of taking initiative against Russia: Pentagon chief
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that Ukraine had a "good chance” of taking the initiative in the war against Russia, the Reuters news agency reported.
Austin told reporters in Brussels after the meeting of NATO defence ministers: "I think they'll have a real good chance of making a pretty significant difference on the battlefield and establishing the initiative. And being able to exploit that initiative going forward."
Wednesday is day 357 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters, The Guardian
Click on the audio player above for a report by Radio Poland’s Michał Owczarek.