Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva refused to send tank shells to Germany over fears that Berlin will transfer them to Ukraine, Brazilian media outlet Folha de Sao Paulo said on Friday.

The news outlet revealed that Ground Forces commander Julio Cesar de Arruda, before he was dismissed later, suggested the matter during a top military meeting on January 20.

Lula rejected then the proposal saying that one "should not provoke the Russians."

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The shells in question, according to the newspaper, are ammunition for Leopard 1 tanks.

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Berlin tried to reach a deal with Brasilia last year to send its stocks of German-made weapons to Germany so that they can be transferred to Ukraine, however, Brazil refused.

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Following the January 8 riots, the Brazilian President dismissed Julio Cesar de Arruda on January 21 as chief of the armed forces.

Arruda had just assumed the position on December 30, two days before Bolsonaro's term was ended, and he had only been confirmed by Lula's government in early January.

Earlier this week, Germany announced the decision to deliver 14 Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine.

A spokesperson for the government said the objective now is to "quickly raise two tank battalions with Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine." This will happen over two stages. In the first, "Germany will provide a company of 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks from the stocks of the Bundeswehr."

Poland also officially requested permission from Germany to transfer its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, while other EU countries expressed that their requests are on the way.