NATO plans to set up a logistics and repair center for Ukrainian military equipment near Polish Rzeszow, roughly 100 km from Ukraine's border, the Globe and Mail reported on July 28, citing Polish and Canadian officials.
"We are going to establish a maintenance facility in partnership with the U.S. and the U.K. No intent to have a large Canadian presence," one of the Canadian officials reportedly said.
According to the Canadian newspaper, the main role of the center will be repairing Ukrainian tanks and armored vehicles.
Rzeszow Mayor Konrad Fijolek told the Polish paper Gazeta Wyborcza on June 13 that NATO will station a permanent base near the city, with U.S., U.K., and Canadian troops deployed there on a permanent basis.
The sources cited by the Globe and Mail said that Fijolek is making the facility "sound bigger than what it is in terms of people" and that no Canadian troops would be stationed in Rzeszow long-term with their families.
The city of Rzeszow with roughly 200,000 residents became an important logistics hub between Ukraine and its Western partners. Its airport, protected by Patriot air defense systems and 1,700 U.S. soldiers, is a crucial conduit for Western military aid flowing to Ukraine.
On July 24, Germany announced that it agreed with the Polish government on repair centers for Leopard 2 tanks used in Ukraine. The facilities are expected to be created at factories in two Polish cities, Gliwice and Poznaz.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
