The Leopard-2 tank maintenance center from Ukraine will open in May at the Bumar Labedy plant in Gliwice (Silesian Voivodeship, Poland), Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on Wednesday.

"Leopard 2A4 and 2A6 tanks from Ukraine will be serviced and repaired at the Bumar Labedy plant in Gliwice. This service center will start working in May," Polish Radio quoted the minister as saying.

Blaszczak recalled that at a meeting of NATO defense ministers, he signed an agreement with his German counterpart on the establishment of a service center for a whole family of Leopard tanks on the basis of the Bumar Labedy plant.

According to the minister, this center will give a chance for the development of the plant in the future, so that, in particular, new jobs will appear in Gliwice. "There is a huge chance for development, and I am confident that this chance will be used," said Blaszczak.

He stressed that the reason for choosing this particular plant was the fact that for 20 years they have been engaged in the maintenance, repair and modernization of Leopard 2A4 tanks. The minister also recalled that Polish T-72 tanks are being repaired and modernized in Gliwice.