27 Feb. () –
The Polish Defense Minister, Mariusz Blaszczak, acknowledged on Monday that the country’s authorities sent the first batches of weapons to Ukraine “even before” Russian President Vladimir Putin started the war on the night of February 24 of 2022.
According to Blaszczak, Poland has become in recent months one of the main guarantors of Ukraine’s territorial security thanks to the constant shipments of weapons approved by Warsaw, according to the Polish PAP agency.
“So far we have provided the Ukrainian Armed Forces with, among others, T72 tanks, artillery shells and ammunition, portable anti-aircraft missile systems, drones and loitering ammunition,” the minister said.
In this line, he has claimed that Warsaw also welcomes Ukrainian soldiers whom he instructs in the use of howitzers and Western Leopard model tanks, which “soon” will be sent to Ukrainian territory. “A free Ukraine means a free Poland,” she has said.
On the other hand, it has also valued the actions carried out by the members of the Atlantic Alliance, which have punished Russia with sanctions and arms shipments to Ukraine, which are necessary to “expel the Russians from the occupied territories”.
“A year has passed and Ukraine continues to fight bravely. This is possible thanks to the support of NATO allies, so we must maximize the pressure on Russia by imposing more sanctions and limiting its ability to act,” he added in this regard.
In this sense, Blaszczak has highlighted above all the role played by the president of the United States, Joe Biden, who with his recent visit to Kiev has taken a step to “strengthen” the supply of weapons to Ukraine.
“I am pleased with President Biden’s strong message, in which he assured Ukraine of continued support,” remarked Blaszczak, who thanked the president for his support for NATO, the presence of US troops on Polish soil, as well as the importance given to article 5 of the Atlantic Alliance treaty.
