Poland hosts first “coalition of armored vehicles” for Ukraine

The Coalition for Armored Vehicles was launched in Warsaw on Tuesday to support Ukraine in growing its defense capabilities. 

Representatives from participating countries came together to establish a unified position on strengthening Ukraine's Armed Forces with specific armored vehicle models and organizing their maintenance system, Rubryka reports, citing the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

According to the ministry, Poland and Germany proposed this initiative, which has garnered support from the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Italy. Deputy Minister of Defense Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk leads the Ukrainian delegation.

"The Coalition for Armored Vehicles aims to bolster the armored shield of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. By pooling our efforts, we aim to enhance our military's capabilities in countering Russian aggression and ensure effective functioning, maintenance, and repair of the equipment provided to us by our allies," said the Ukrainian representative.

The Coalition for Armored Vehicles has established four syndicates, each responsible for specific tasks:

• Supplying arms and ammunition for Western armored vehicles.
• Their maintenance and repair.
• Training crews and technical personnel.
• Developing effective tactics for using armored vehicles on the battlefield.

"This is a critical initiative from our allies, given the existing challenges the Ukrainian Armed Forces have with the repair of foreign armored vehicles," said the deputy defense minister. "We hope that we can quickly establish an effective repair base for Western armored vehicles in Ukraine with the help of our allies."

The previous success of coalitions supporting Ukraine, particularly the Tank Coalition, demonstrates the potential for further development and cooperation in the field of armored vehicles.

"Our soldiers must be protected by reliable armor to the maximum during combat missions. They should have reliable and modern tools for warfare," said Lieutenant General Havryliuk.

According to him, a to-be-developed corresponding roadmap will align with the development strategy of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In the long term, the participating countries of the Tank Coalition and the Coalition for Armored Vehicles are expected to assist in creating a future armored vehicle fleet for the Ukrainian forces and establish innovative industrial partnerships with Ukraine.

On March 18, Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced that Warsaw and Berlin would create a coalition of armored vehicles to support Ukraine.

Poland and Germany were expected to activate the coalition of armored vehicles to support Ukraine on March 26.

"More partners have already registered. This is one of the most important coalitions," he said.

What we know about other coalitions supporting Ukraine

On January 18, Germany, France, the USA, and over 20 other countries created an artillery coalition in Paris to assist Ukraine in repelling Russian aggression.

Previously, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders agreed to create a coalition of combat jets.

Latvia also initiated a drone coalition and confirmed its readiness to continue and deepen cooperation, seeking new partners.

The defense ministers of Ukraine, Estonia, and Luxembourg held the inaugural meeting of a new IT coalition within the Ukraine Defense Cooperation Group (UDCG) on September 19.

On December 11, Norway and the UK created a maritime coalition to support Ukraine. Ukraine invited Turkey to join the Maritime coalition to enhance security in the Black Sea.

Iceland is joining two coalitions that provide support to Ukraine — the IT coalition and the Demining coalition