Poland comments on Germany's alleged refusal to repair Ukrainian Leopards
Poland has said that negotiations with Germany on the opening of a service centre for Leopard tanks received by Ukraine are ongoing, and the Polish side remains fully prepared to take the weapons for repair.
Source: A statement by the Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (Polish Armaments Group), a state-owned company involved in the negotiations between Warsaw and Berlin, was quoted by TVP Info, as European Pravda writes
Quote: "Following the negotiations between Poland and Germany on the establishment of a service hub for Leopard 2 tanks, the Polish side remains fully prepared to adopt the first Leopard tanks in order to improve them and restore their combat capability," the state-owned PGZ said.
Details: The Polish state-owned company explained that from the beginning of the negotiations, the Polish industry had declared its readiness to service the Leopards supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and nothing had changed in this regard.
Quote: "At the same time, during meetings with the German side, PGZ has repeatedly stressed that these repairs will only be possible if the necessary spare parts are provided, the main manufacturers of which are German companies," the statement reads.
Details: The choice of Poland as a service centre is also supported by the Polish defence industry's experience in servicing and upgrading Leopard 2 tanks, PGZ notes.
Background: German media reported earlier that Germany intends to break off negotiations on the creation of a service centre for Leopard tanks in Poland.
According to Handelsblatt, the reason for the cancellation of the contract for the tank repair centre in Poland is "excessive price expectations of the Polish government".
The centre was supposed to open in late May. After talks in April with Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak, his German counterpart Boris Pistorius said that the two sides had reached the final stage of implementation.
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