The former president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, who is currently in Brussels, said that Ukraine will receive Western tanks in the nearest future.
According to Poroshenko, the supply of tanks was just the matter of time. Ukraine and the Armed Forces of Ukraine are now fulfilling the role of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. The Armed Forces of Ukraine protect NATO member states. It is in the interest not only of Ukraine, but also of NATO member states to increase the effectiveness of Ukraine’s army.
‘Poland has already sent an official request to supply us with 14 Leopard tanks. We expect that the decision to grant permission to Poland will arrive in hours, not even in days. We do not rule out that Poland will decide to purchase other tanks, including Korean ones, and transfer to us a larger number of Leopard tanks that are in service with Poland’, Poroshenko said.
The former president of Ukraine also stressed that the offensive cannot be effective without air defense. Therefore, the issue of missiles and fighters was among the main ones. ‘And the Leopard tanks – I claim – will be in Ukraine in the nearest future, and not only from Poland, and not only Leopards’, Poroshenko stated.
He claimed s that the next Ramstein meeting will begin with discussions on F-16, fighter jets, attack helicopters, increasing the range of HIMARS, and missiles with an increased range of up to 700 km, including ATACMS.
‘We had a very substantive, very specific conversation, and I think that it will bring results in the nearest future’, Poroshenko resumed.