Berlin: No official requests yet regarding Leopards to Ukraine

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
23 Jan 2023 15:47

Polish Prime Minister says his government will send an official request to Germany to get its approval for sending the German-made tank to Kiev.

Germany delivering Leopard 2 tanks to Slovakia in December (Reuters)

A spokesperson for the German government said on Monday that so far no request has been filed by Poland to send its German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine.

"There are procedures for this," the spokesperson added, noting that Berlin will address the requests swiftly.

In the same context, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki stated on Monday that his country will request Berlin's approval to send its owned German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine.

"We will seek this approval," Morawiecki said.

The statement comes after Germany's Foreign Minister announced earlier that Berlin is ready to permit the previously opposed transfer.

"There are procedures for this," the government spokesperson told a regular news conference in Berlin, adding that any such request would be addressed with swiftness and care.

Berlin has been facing increased pressure from its western allies to allow sending the Leopard tanks to Ukraine, whether by Germany or other countries that own the advanced battle tank.

Poland has been a major supporter of Kiev, delivering more than 240 T-72s to Ukraine since the outbreak of the war, and it stated earlier this month that it is ready to provide Kiev with 14 Leopard battle tanks, noting that it is in talks with 15 countries on the matter.

Despite announcing earlier last week that it will not allow allies to send German-made tanks to Kiev unless Washington agrees to ship to Ukraine its US-made tanks, Germany's Foreign Minister said on Sunday her country is ready to greenlight Poland to send German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine if Warsaw decides to file the request, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Sunday.

It's worth noting that Morawiecki warned a few days ago that if Germany refuses to send its tanks to Kiev, "we will set up a 'small coalition' of countries ready to donate some of their modern equipment, their modern tanks."