Two years ago, with millions of people out of work and central bankers and politicians striving to lift the U.S. The first Ukrainian soldiers to be trained on the tanks departed for Germany last week.Produce prices are displayed at a grocery store on June 10, 2022, in New York City. Germany's Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said last week that the first battalion of 31 Leopard 1 tanks in Ukraine should be ready in April. Ukrainian officials say they expect Russian forces to make a new drive in eastern and southern Ukraine, as the Kremlin strives to secure territory it illegally annexed in late September and where it claims its rule is welcomed.

Poland has also provided or pledged more than 300 of its Soviet-era T-72 tanks and modernized PT-91 tanks.

its M1 Abrams main battle tanks.ĭuda especially thanked Germany for allowing the German-made tanks to be made available to Kyiv and for its own contribution. Other contributing countries include Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands, while Britain has pledged Challenger tanks and the U.S. Germany has pledged at least 178 Leopard 1 tanks and 14 Leopard 2s. Warsaw is among the most active supporters of neighboring Ukraine, and has pushed European nations to provide the Leopard 1 and 2 tanks. “You can see in their faces that these people have gone through terrible things, but they are determined to defend their homeland.”Ī Polish soldier helps navigate a Leopard 2 tank during training at a military base and test range in Swietoszow, Poland, Feb. He said the Ukrainian trainees have come straight from the front line. Instruction is also being held in Germany.ĭuda voiced hope the tanks would help Ukrainian forces “in a much more efficient way to defeat the enemy.” The intensive training lasts up to 10 hours a day, including weekends, the Polish military said. Taking part are Ukrainian tank crews from units fighting in the east of the country. The training is part of the European Union's military assistance to Ukraine, but Canadian instructors also have a role, as do Norwegians. President Andrzej Duda and minister Mariusz Blaszczak also watched Leopard 2 training at a military base and test range in Swietoszow, in southwestern Poland. Poland’s president and defense minister met Monday with Polish and foreign instructors intensively training Ukrainian troops to operate the German-made Leopard 2 tanks that some European countries and Canada have offered Kyiv to help fight the Russian invasion.

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