Poland, a country neighboring Ukraine, which is defending itself against Russian aggression, signed an agreement for the purchase of 116 Abrams tanks from the United States, as part of strengthening its army, AFP reports, Agerpres reads.

The sale was approved by the US State Department in December. „We are strengthening the ‘iron fist’ of the Polish army to effectively deter the aggressor,” said the Polish Minister of Defense, Mariusz Blaszczak, during an agreement signing ceremony in Warsaw.

Mariusz Blaszczak stated that the first Abrams M1A1 tanks under the agreement would be delivered within the year to eastern Poland. Last year, Poland already bought 250 Abrams tanks from the United States, which, according to the Polish minister, would be delivered by the end of 2024.

According to a message posted on Twitter by the Polish Ministry of Defense, the value of the new contract amounts to 1.4 billion dollars, of which 200 million is financed by the American side as part of the aid granted to Poland. The signing of the agreement on the second batch of tanks comes more than 10 months after the start of the war in Ukraine.

Agerpres