Two tanks already arrived
Ukraine can now have leopards repaired in Poland
07/23/2023 02:31 am
A few weeks ago it crunched between Berlin and Warsaw. The reason for the quarrel was a repair center for Leopard tanks in Gliwice, which from the German point of view was being completed too slowly. Now Poland’s Defense Minister Blaszczak announces that it has started operations.
A repair center in Poland for Leopard tanks delivered to Ukraine, which German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius called for, has been completed and put into operation. This was announced by Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak on Saturday evening. “The repair center in Gliwice is operational! The first two Leopards have already arrived at the Bumar plant from Ukraine,” wrote the national-conservative minister on Twitter on Saturday.
As early as April, Pistorius and Blaszczak had agreed on the construction of the repair center of the armaments manufacturer Bumar-Labedy in Gliwice (in German Gleiwitz). Leopard main battle tanks from Germany and Poland, which are used by Ukraine in the fight against Russia, are to be repaired there. However, during his visit to Poland in early July, Pistorius criticized the Polish side for being too slow in completing the center.
According to reports, there had previously been a dispute over the repair of the Leopard tanks handed over to Ukraine. The Federal Ministry of Defense had therefore changed its plans. Leopard 2A5 and Leopard 2A6 weapon systems should be repaired in Germany and probably also in Lithuania, as a spokesman said on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius. Shortly before, the “Handelsblatt” had reported that the federal government was withdrawing from an agreement with Poland.
Poland delivered damaged tanks to Ukraine
As soon as the Ukrainian armed forces indicated the need, the necessary work on the Leopard 2A5 and Leopard 2A6 could begin, the Ministry of Defense announced on the new plans. “Discussions are still ongoing on how Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks can be repaired,” the spokesman said at the time. Poland had provided this type.
The “Handelsblatt” had also reported that the reason for the dispute, from the point of view of the Germans, was the completely exaggerated price expectations of the Poles. In March, after much hesitation, the German government handed Ukraine over 18 modern Leopard 2 A6 tanks. Other European partners also promised deliveries, including Poland. There is also a stir about the Leopard 2A4 tanks supplied by Poland: Of the 14 vehicles supplied, eight were damaged before they were used, according to the “Handelsblatt”.