Germany and Poland are activating an armored vehicle coalition to support Ukraine‘s fight against the Russian invasion.
On Monday, the defense ministers of the NATO allies announced the coalition, which will officially begin operations on March 26.
“This will be one of the most important coalitions to have been created. Our two countries are the leaders of this project,” said Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, deputy prime minister of Poland.
In a press release, the Polish leader said that other nations such as Sweden, Italy and the United Kingdom have expressed intent to join the coalition.
The new coalition, which will focus on main battle tanks, is one of several international partnerships established to support Kyiv. In December, NATO militaries led by the U.K. and Norway created a coalition to strengthen the Ukrainian Navy.
Kosiniak-Kamysz also announced on Monday that, starting in July, a battle group of about 5,000 Polish and German soldiers will be ready for rapid deployment. He added that the battle group is “fulfilling the tasks of the European Union strategic compass.”
The meeting between the German and Polish defense officials come a few days after the Weimar Triangle summit.
On March 15, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Berlin, where the three leaders discussed how their countries can further support Ukraine.