Polish 'Repair Hub' for Kiev's Leopards Amplifies National Security Risks
© AP Photo / Michael Sohn
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Berlin and Warsaw are due to finalize a deal to create a Polish "repair hub" for Leopard battle tanks prior to a July NATO summit. Sputnik sat down with Mateusz Piskorski, political observer and columnist for the Myśl Polska (Polish Thought) newspaper, to discuss the development.
The beginning of the Kiev regime's counteroffensive was marked by heavy Ukrainian losses in manpower and military equipment provided by the West. Having lost over a dozen German-made Leopards, Ukrainian officials urged Berlin to provide replacements as soon as possible. While the German leadership ruled out "hot swapping" its equipment, Berlin announced that it was about to establish a "service hub" for the damaged battle tanks in Poland. The deal was first announced on April 21 by Germany's Defense Minister Boris Pistorius at a meeting of NATO allies at the Ramstein air base. What's behind Warsaw's eagerness to seal the agreement?
"There may be several reasons," said Mateusz Piskorski. "First, of course, from a purely geographical point of view, [Poland] is closer [to Ukraine]. Secondly, Poland is already playing the role of a technical hub for the Ukrainian side, given the existence of various logistics schemes passing through the territory of Poland. As we know, all weapons for Kiev pass through Poland. And thirdly, perhaps – but this is just an assumption – Germany wants to distance itself a little [from the conflict] and show to the public that it is not so closely involved in supporting Kiev in this case. And this, in turn, may be due to the fact that, after all, public opinion polls in Germany show that the majority of the Germans surveyed are skeptical about the direct involvement of Germany in supporting Kiev."
Piskorski noted that German politicians are similarly divided when it comes to Berlin's support for the Kiev regime. Apparently, therefore, it has taken several months for the German-Polish "repair hub" deal to take shape.
"Probably, [these delays are] precisely due to those internal disagreements, including disagreements within the Social Democratic Party of Germany itself, the ruling party of [German Chancellor] Olaf Scholz," suggested the Polish commentator. "Previously, we also observed that all decisions were made after quite a long time. Often it turned out that all actions were taken with certain delays. Therefore, I think that this is due precisely to internal disagreements and the lack of determination of the German government."
Poland Getting Bogged Down in Ukraine Crisis
The Polish repair facilities are expected to play a central role in ensuring the combat effectiveness of Western weapons supplied to Ukraine, including Leopard 2 and Challenger tanks, self-propelled howitzers, and infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers, and military trucks. However, it also means that Poland is being further dragged into the Russo-Ukrainian conflict.
Even though this is not yet direct participation, Poland is indeed turning into a certain hub and "the rear support" of the Kiev regime, according to Piskorski.
"Naturally, in Poland this is presented as a positive development and as a solution that is beneficial from the point of view of the Polish military industry," the observer continued. "Therefore, in Poland it is usually presented as a success, contributing to the development of Polish industry. Naturally, this again creates certain risks in the already complicated relations between Poland and the Russian Federation."
At the same time, given the possibility of an escalation of the conflict, the deal promoted by Berlin and Warsaw also endangers Poland's security, per the commentator.
"For example, it is no coincidence that many journalists have started talking about the fact that American Patriot systems have now been installed at the Rzeszow-Jashonka airport, which serves as a transshipment hub for weapons entering Ukraine. Apparently, some expect that in the event of an escalation, the conflict could expand to the territory of Poland," Piskorski said.
The commentator has drawn attention to the fact that regardless of the pressure exerted by the US and Western Europe, Hungary and some other countries of Central Europe are not as actively involved in activities related to supporting Kiev as Poland. Budapest's decision to maintain certain neutrality with regard to the Russo-Ukrainian conflict ensures the security of Hungary in this respect, he assumed.
Per Piskorski, Warsaw is continuing to amplify already existing security risks faced by the nation. The "repair hub" endeavor is another step towards escalating these risks, he concluded.
