Two-thirds of Poles support the move by the Polish government to supply heavy weaponry to Ukraine, fresh polling has revealed.
Polish Radio reported on Friday that Poland had sent 200 T-72 tanks to Ukraine and several dozen armored vehicles, and the delivery of arms and vehicles to its neighbor has the backing of a majority of the electorate.
According to a SW Research poll for Rzeczpospolita daily, almost 65 percent of respondents were behind the move, with just under 13 percent against. Twenty-three percent of those asked did not offer an opinion.
Polish authorities have not revealed the number of weapons, although government figures confirmed that heavy weaponry had been delivered to Ukraine, a policy the Polish public is firmly behind.
Men were slightly more supportive than women, with 68 percent versus 61 percent respectively. There was, however, a clear majority for the deliveries among all age groups and social classes.
Slovenia and Czechia are also sending post-Soviet tanks to Ukraine in exchange for receipt of tanks from Germany. Heavy weaponry is also being supplied by the U.S., U.K. and Canada. Slovakia is reported to also be willing to transfer its MIG-29 fighter aircraft to Ukraine in exchange for Poland policing Slovakian air space until the country has purchased new American F-16 fighter planes.
In the first phase of the war, arms supplies from the west for Ukraine were limited to light defensive weapons such as anti-tank and anti-aircraft mobile units and ammunition. After the failure of the Russian offensive on Kyiv and the launch of the Russian offensive in the east of Ukraine, the western approach to arming Ukraine has changed.
