Soldiers learning to operate Leopards are ready to return to Ukraine with tanks within month – Duda

CNN reports that Andrzej Duda said that the Ukrainian military is currently training in Poland to operate the equipment and will be ready within a month to return to Ukraine with the tanks.

However, Poland has serious problems with obtaining spare parts for tanks from Germany, the Polish leader added.

“It’s not only us — these problems are quite common. Other countries also have problems with Leopards, because Germans have got a serious problem with providing spare parts. We do not understand this situation, but that’s the way it is. Now, our Leopard tanks are ready for Ukraine today. In our training center, there are Ukrainian tankers training on Leopard tanks, we are preparing them right now, there is a training cycle going on,” Duda said.

The Polish president added that modern weapons are key to protecting Ukraine from Russia. In response to a clarifying question from the journalist, whether this included fighter jets, he replied: “If there is such a need, of course, yes.”

At the same time, Duda added that there is a question of when Ukrainian pilots will be ready to fly modern NATO-standard aircraft, such as F-16, Mirage, Eurofighter or any other modern equipment.

“This is a question mark, when the Ukrainian pilots will be ready to do that. Because the training of a pilot is much more complicated and much longer [than the training of a tank operator].”

• Poland has already handed over 250 T-72 tanks to the Ukrainian Armed Forces and plans to hand over another 60. Ukraine will also receive 14 German Leopard tanks.

• On February 18, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that his country was ready to provide Ukraine with MiG-29 fighter jets, but only as part of a coalition. The same day, Andrzej Duda said that Poland was considering giving Ukraine its MiG-29s and would join a coalition to provide Ukraine with F-16s, if it was formed.