“I have an appointment with Boris Pistorius, Germany's defense minister. The main issue we will talk about concerns the low availability of spare parts for Leopard tanks. I expect Minister Pistorius to influence German industry so that these parts are delivered. We are ready to launch a service hub in Poland, which will deal with the repair and service of Leopard tanks delivered to Ukraine. The most important thing is to break the impasse. I hope that Minister Pistorius will lead to the fact that the German defense industry will deliver parts to the hub, which will be built at the Bumar-Łabędy plant,” said Deputy Prime Minister Mariusz Błaszczak during a press conference before his departure to Sweden.
On Tuesday, March 7, On June 20, 2018, a press conference of Mariusz Błaszczak, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense was held at the Okęcie Military Airport before his departure for a meeting with the German Minister of Defense and a session of an informal meeting of EU defense ministers in Stockholm.
“A meeting of European Union defense ministers will be held in Stockholm, dedicated to the security of Europe. We will talk about Ukraine's support, but also about our European resilience to security threats. There will be countries that belong to the European Union, but there will also be guests: the NATO Secretary General and the UN Deputy Secretary General. So the discussion will focus on the most important issues related to security," said the deputy prime minister.
The head of the Ministry of National Defense stressed the readiness of the Polish defense industry to service and repair Leopard tanks delivered to Ukraine.
“The Bumar-Łabędy plant has the right conditions to conduct such activity. But there is a fundamental problem in the form of the lack of spare parts for these tanks. This is a challenge facing Poland and Canada. But of course, this is a problem that only Germany, and the German defense industry, can solve. I hope that there will be a breakthrough, that together we will overcome the impasse. I hope that, above all, Minister Pistorius will lead to the fact that the German arms industry will produce these parts. The Polish defense industry is also ready to produce these parts, but of course Rheinmetall, a German company, has all the documentation," said Mariusz Błaszczak.
He reminded that Poland organized a coalition of countries that agreed to provide Ukraine with Leopard tanks.
"Just to remind you: I made an agreement with Minister Pistorius that I would be responsible for building a coalition of countries with Leopard 2A4 tanks, and Minister Pistorius for Leopard 2A6s. I led to the creation of such a coalition. Of the promised 14 Polish tanks, 4 are already in Ukraine, and another 10 will be delivered this week. There are also eight Canadian tanks, because the Canadians decided to increase their number to eight. In addition, six Spanish tanks, as well as vehicles that will provide support to the tank battalion, which will be provided by the Finns."
The main theme of the March 7-8 event. of the informal meeting of EU defense ministers in Stockholm will be Russian aggression against Ukraine and support for Kiev. The session will be attended by the Minister of Defense of Ukraine O. Reznikov. Among others, the involvement of states in the activities of the EU Mission for Military Support for Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine) and the Estonian initiative of joint purchase of 155 mm ammunition for Ukraine by EU countries will be discussed.
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