Ukraine troops train on Leopard tanks in Poland

Ukrainian soldiers, who arrived at a Polish military base straight from the frontline, on Monday praised the Leopard battle tanks whose ins and outs they have been learning under the watchful eye of allied instructors.

"As of today, I can say that the machine is very high quality, very good," Ukrainian army major Vadym Khodak told reporters attending the training showcase in the southwestern village of Swietoszow.

"And what I like is that our soldiers like it very much," he added of the 105 Ukrainian troops who have been learning from Polish, Canadian and Norwegian instructors.

Germany recently gave the green light for the modern German-made tanks to be sent to Ukraine after a tireless campaign by Kyiv and other countries.

Last week, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said Berlin and its allies aim to deliver a first battalion of tanks by April, and others would follow later this year and next.

Attending the showcase in Swietoszow, Polish President Andrzej Duda hailed the Ukrainian troops who have been battling Russia's invasion for the past year.

"These are very experienced tank drivers, who arrived here straight from the front" in Ukraine, he said.

"Just by looking at their faces, you can see that these men have lived through horrible things but are absolutely determined to defend their homeland," Duda added.

The training normally lasts two months but Ukraine's troops are getting a more intensive version -- the same content and number of hours but in just one month.