German-made Leopard tanks will be sent to Kyiv as part of an international coalition, Polish President Andrzej Duda announced as he met with his Lithuanian and Ukrainian counterparts within the Lublin Triangle format in Lviv Wednesday.
In Lviv, the presidents of Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine, Andrzej Duda, Gitanas Nauseda and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, respectively, signed a joint declaration of the leaders of the Lublin Triangle, among other things.
In the declaration signed on Wednesday, the three countries reaffirmed the “centuries-old strategic ties between Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine” and the readiness to further strengthen Ukraine’s defence capabilities.
Looking towards Ukraine’s post-war future, the three also reaffirmed the need for a transparent process of renewal and reconstruction after the end of the war and the necessity of establishing an international tribunal to hold Russia accountable for war crimes.
The document also emphasises Poland’s and Lithuania’s support for Ukraine’s further integration into the West by joining the European Union and NATO.
At the meeting, Zelenskyy also thanked his colleagues from Poland and Lithuania for their support, adding that he was “grateful to the Polish and Lithuanian people for their readiness to stand by our side on the road to victory. Ukrainians will remember this assistance for many years to come”.
At the same time, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda announced that his country would donate ammunition.
Poland, for his part, pledged to donate German-made Leopard tanks, with President Andrzej Duda announcing the creation of an “international coalition” on the transfer of tanks to Kyiv.
“Within the framework of the international coalition, we have decided to put in the first tank package, a company of Leopard tanks, which, I hope, in line with other companies of Leopard tanks and others that will be assembled by other countries, will sail to Ukraine in the near future and will be able to strengthen the defence of Ukraine,” Andrzej Duda said.
“Stopping the war in Ukraine is one of the greatest challenges for the free world,” Duda added, calling on world governments to continue helping Kyiv. He also stressed Poland’s support of Ukraine’s defence efforts by providing its neighbour with military equipment and humanitarian aid.
The so-called Lublin Triangle is a regional alliance of Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine. It was established in 2020 and aimed to strengthen neighbourly ties between all three countries and support Ukraine in the Euro-Atlantic integration process.
(Bartosz Sieniawski | EURACTIV.pl)
Source: euractiv.com
