Poland announced Monday that it will ask Germany for permission to send its German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine. But he made it clear that, even without that permission, he was available to deliver them to Kiev, as Berlin is “going into international isolation by refusing to send its own tanks”. The Kremlin seems to welcome this discussion, claiming that the indecisiveness shows the Allies’ “nervousness”. But he warns that it will be the Ukrainians who will “pay the price” for this “sham aid”.
A month away from the first anniversary of the Russian invasion – and at a time when another full-scale attack by Moscow forces is feared – the debate has focused on the deployment of the Leopard 2. A recent analysis by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London concluded that “to have a significant effect” on the fighting, Kiev would need to be supplied with “about a hundred” of these heavy tanks. Ukrainians want 300 and there are European countries willing to supply them, but they need Germany’s permission to do so.
Poland is available to send 14 of its leopards, with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki saying he is waiting for a “clear statement” from Berlin on whether he could hand them over. Germany is hesitant to send those it has in its arsenal, saying it needs to analyze the pros and cons of such a decision – fearing, on the one hand, an escalation of the conflict on Russia’s side. “The argument of escalating the conflict doesn’t work because Russia is continuing this escalation,” said Latvian diplomatic chief Edgars Rinkevics.
On Friday at a meeting of the Defense Contact Group of Ukraine in Ramstein, Germany refused to make a decision, saying it could take days. But in the meantime, it seems to have opened the door to allow third countries to supply their products to Kiev. “If we are asked the question, we will not get in the way,” Germany’s head of diplomacy, Annalena Baerbock, said on Sunday evening, claiming that no request had yet been made. But executive spokesman Steffen Hebestreit was less clear, saying if the request is made the government will follow “tried and tested procedures” to make a decision.
In light of these statements, Morawiecki announced that he will next ask for that permission. But he also made it clear that this would be secondary. “Even if we don’t get their agreement, we will give our tanks to Ukraine, together with other countries, in the framework of a small coalition, even if Germany is not part of it,” the Polish prime minister said.
There are 16 NATO countries that have Leopard 2 tanks (of various models), it is estimated that the Germans alone have 200 in warehouses, in addition to over 300 in action. Poles have about 250, Greeks more than 300, just like Spaniards. Portugal has 37. Finland, which like Poland has already shown its availability to supply Ukraine, has 200 (of which 100 are in storage). The IISS report indicated that the tanks of these two countries could be grounded more quickly.
In addition to supplying the tanks, it will be necessary to ensure the training of the Ukrainian army – accustomed to Soviet-made vehicles. Portugal has already offered to provide training and expressed its willingness to “find, in a coordinated manner with its partners, ways to support Ukraine with this capability”, and it is not clear whether it is available to supply the tanks itself. Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, puts Portugal in the list of countries available to do so.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov spoke of this “legal juggling” and “the exchange of statements between European capitals”, saying that all of this “threatens to isolate Berlin internationally”. Therefore, he felt that this shows how “nervousness among the members of the Atlantic Alliance” is on the rise. And left the message: “All countries involved in one way or another in sending weapons and raising the technological level of the Ukrainian armed forces will be held accountable.” And who will pay are the Ukrainians.
In the meantime, the European Union has announced that it will make a further EUR 500 million available from the European Peace Support Mechanism in Ukraine, in addition to another EUR 45 million for the ‘military assistance mission’, ie for training soldiers in Poland and Germany. The agreement was reached at the meeting of the heads of diplomacy in Brussels.
Source: DN
