Poland in talks to acquire K2 battle tanks from South Korea, says defense minister

By Ahmet Gencturk

ANKARA (AA) – Poland is in negotiations with South Korea to buy K2 tanks, the country’s defense minister said on Wednesday.

During his visit to South Korea, Mariusz Blaszczak said Warsaw wants to use Seoul’s “potential” to help replace the Soviet-era equipment still in the Polish military’s inventory.

He said Poland is seeking “equipment compatible with American equipment, and such equipment is produced by South Korea,” according to a series of tweets by the Polish Defense Ministry.

He emphasized that Warsaw wants technology to be transferred and the tanks to be produced in Poland.

“We also want to replace MiG-29 and Su-22 aircrafts with new ones,” Blaszczak said, adding that a team of Polish experts will soon travel to South Korea for discussions.

With the Russia-Ukraine war significantly altering the security situation in Europe, Poland has accelerated its ongoing ambitious rearmament program.

On April 5, the country inked a contract worth nearly $4.75 billion to buy 250 MA12 SEP battle tanks from the US, following a December 2020 agreement with Washington for 32 F-35 jets.