German defence minister wants Polish tank hub talks done in 10 days

Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak shakes hands with his German counterpart Boris Pistorius as they visit the site, where German Patriot air defence system units are based, near Zamosc, Poland July 3, 2023. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

ZAMOSC, Poland (Reuters) - An agreement on extending the deployment of three German air defence units to Poland is being held up by fraught separate negotiations on the establishment of a maintenance hub in Poland for Leopard tanks damaged in Ukraine.

"Time is of the essence ... We believe the talks (on the maintenance hub) should, if at all possible, be completed within the next 10 days so that we know in what direction to plan," German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Monday.