Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak assured on Saturday that Poland has already started training Ukrainian military personnel on Polish soil to operate the Leopard 2 battle tanks that several countries have announced they will deliver to the Ukrainian Army. The United Kingdom has also started training for the Challenger 2.
Blaszczak explained that at the moment it is not possible to specify how long this training will last, but he clarified that «it is not a matter of days or months, but of weeks».
He also told the Ukrainian authorities that the method of delivery of the tanks will be discussed at a NATO meeting scheduled for mid-February.
According to press reports, the tanks would be delivered without the necessary training for the personnel, reports the Polish news portal TVP citing the German magazine ‘Der Spiegel’.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Olexii Resnikov and Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski have already personally expressed their gratitude to Blaszczak.
BRITISH BATTLE TANKS Meanwhile, the United Kingdom has explained that it has also begun training in the use of Challenger 2 battle tanks. The training is being conducted on British soil, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak explained in a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski.
The training began this week, Sunak said, according to British officials. The Ministry of Defense has published photographs of the driving training at military facilities.
«The leaders discussed the current situation in Ukraine and the prime minister stressed that he is focusing on ensuring that British defensive military hardware reaches the front line as soon as possible,» Downing Street said in a statement.
Zelenski has also confirmed the start of the training and explained on Telegram that he has personally thanked Sunak. «We have also thanked him for swelling the capacity of the Ukrainian Army and for assistance to Ukraine both in the short and long term,» he said.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
