Polish leaders meet, discuss further support for Ukraine

Poland's President Andrzej Duda has met with the prime minister and some of his ministers to discuss security issues amid the war in neighboring Ukraine, including Kyiv’s request for delivery of Western-made heavy battle tanks

Poland’s President Andrzej Duda met Monday with the prime minister and some of his ministers to discuss security issues amid the war in neighboring Ukraine, including Kyiv's request for delivery of Western-made heavy battle tanks.

After the meeting, top national security official Jacek Siewiera said decisions were taken as to current and future support to Ukraine, but did not provide any details.

Earlier, a presidential aide said that Kyiv’s request for German-made Leopard 2 tanks which Poland, among other countries, uses, would be on the agenda.

Pawel Szrot said that should Warsaw decide to hand over a limited number of Leopard tanks it would “only be within a wide agreement and an undertaking by other countries that have these tanks.”

Szrot stressed that such decisions need to also take Poland's security into account.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said he and Duda were involved in “wider coalition” international talks regarding heavy tanks for Ukraine, but that Warsaw would not proceed with potential deliveries alone.

Last week, in its biggest military assistance package for Ukraine, the United States pledged, among others, 50 Bradley tank-killing armored vehicles with missiles. Germany also announced it would supply around 40 Marder armored personnel carriers and France promised wheeled AMX-10 RC tank destroyers.

Jacek Siewiera, head of Poland’s National Security Bureau (BBN), who took part in the three-hour meeting, reported afterwards that Poland’s security and the capabilities of the Polish Armed Forces “remain the most important aspects” for the Polish president.

He told reporters that the talks focused on “all projects to be implemented in the near future... in the field of alliance policy, such as (military - PAP) exercises” and Poland’s policy towards the upcoming Nato summit to be held this year.