Poland considers the option to deliver their Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine

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According to information published by "The Wall Street Journal" on January 5, 2023, the Polish Government is considering the request of Ukraine to have more main battle tanks with the possible sending of Leopard 2 Main Battle Tanks coming from the Polish army military inventory.
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Polish army Leopard 2A4 Main Battle Tank MBT. (Picture source Army Recognition)

According to information from the director of the Polish Institute of International Affairs (Warsaw), Slawomir Debski, the pace at which Poland could provide tanks to Ukraine will depend on how quickly the Polish army will receive new main battle tank M1 Abrams and K2 from U.S. and South Korea.

The Polish government's decision to supply its Leopard 2 Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) to Ukraine will depend on the delay in the delivery of American M1A1 and M1A2 tanks as well as the Korean K2 tanks.

Indeed, in December 2022, the United States Department of Defense approved the sale to Poland of 116 second-hand American-made M1A1 Abrams tanks. On January 4, 2023, Poland signed the contract to acquire the 116 second-hand M1A1 Abrams coming from the military inventory of the U.S. Marine Corps.

Poland also signed in 2022 an agreement for the acquisition of 250 Abrams M1A2 SEP V3 tanks manufactured by the American company General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS).

In August 2022, Poland signed another contract with the South Korean company Hanwha Defense to purchase 180 K2 Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) with a delivery from 2022 to 2025. in the next fex years, Poland could acquire 980 K2 Main Battle Tanks.

Citing open source military information, before the war in Ukraine, the Polish army had more than 800 MBTs including 137 Leopard 2A4, 105 Leopard 2A5, 5 Leopard 2PL, 232 PT-91 Twardy, and 329 T-72A/T-72M1.

With the acquisition of M1 Abrams and K2 tanks, it would be possible for Poland to donate a number of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Poland has already supplied Ukraine 230 Soviet-made T-72M1 and T-72M1R coming from its military inventory.