Poland aims to set up Abrams tank service centre for Europe

FILE PHOTO: Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki delivers remarks with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris before their meeting in her ceremonial office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus in Washington, D.C., U.S. April 11, 2023. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo

Poland aims to become the service centre for U.S.-made Abrams tanks in Europe, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Wednesday during a visit to the United States.

"I want a service centre for Abrams tanks for the whole of Europe, for maintaining their battle readiness, to be located in Poland. This is possible, I am in talks regarding this...," Morawiecki told a press conference in Anniston, Alabama broadcast by Polish public television.

"We are also striving for the production of depleted uranium ammunition cores for the Abrams to be located in Poland."

Poland, a close ally of the United States within NATO, has ordered 250 state-of-the-art Abrams battle tanks in addition to 116 modernised ones.

"...I have confirmation that by June at the latest 14 Abrams tanks will be delivered to Poland...", he said, adding that these would replace Soviet-era tanks his country had donated to Ukraine to help fight off Russia's invasion.

(Reporting by Karol Badohal and Pawel Florkiewicz, editing by Mark Heinrich)