- Ukraine has asked the West to give German-made tanks.
- The Leopard 2 tanks were created expressly to compete with the Russian T-90 tanks.
- German would not stand in the way of Poland sending Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
Ukraine: German Foreign Minister Anna Baerbock has stated that she “would not stand in the way” of Poland sending Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
Ukraine has asked the West to give German-made tanks that it claims will help it battle Russia.
However, Germany has failed to supply armored vehicles, and its export regulations preclude other countries from providing their own.
Ms. Baerbock stated on Sunday that Poland had not yet requested export authorization.
“For the moment the question has not been asked, but if we were asked we would not stand in the way,” she told France’s LCI TV on Sunday.
Last week, Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki stated that his country was willing to deploy 14 tanks to Kyiv provided Berlin allowed it.
“The ability to defend freedom in Ukraine may depend on it,” he said.
The Leopard 2 tanks were created expressly to compete with the Russian T-90 tanks employed in the invasion.
Number of Leopard 2 tanks
There are thought to be over 2,000 of them in the world, and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that approximately 300 of them would help assure Russia’s defeat.
Many allied countries are dissatisfied with Germany’s refusal to supply its own tanks.
Current restrictions require Germany to approve any re-export of its tanks by foreign countries, such as Poland.
Germany had not yet committed to supplying the tanks or issuing their export license following a conference of more than 50 allied countries on Friday. However, it denied unilaterally preventing the export of the tanks.
In a joint statement on Saturday, the foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania ordered Germany “should provide Leopard tanks to Ukraine forthwith”.
France has already agreed to send small tanks to Ukraine, and Mr. Macron hinted that French-made Leclerc heavy tanks could also be delivered.
Other countries have pledged to provide tanks, including the United Kingdom, which will deploy 14 Challenger 2s.
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