France has not ruled out supplying Ukraine with Leclerc heavy battle tanks to support it in its war against Russia, Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday, along with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, as Kyiv requests tanks, particularly from Germany, which must agree to any deliveries of Leopard 2 tanks. while many states, including Poland, have expressed their willingness to do so, Reuters and AFP reported.

“As for Leclerc, I asked the minister of the armed forces to work on it. Nothing is excluded,” the French president said., adding that the move must be coordinated with allies such as Germany in the coming days and weeks.

In the context of strong pressure on Germany to allow the transfer of German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, as well as American Abrams tanks, the French seem to be seizing the initiative with the possibility of sending Leclerc tanks.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, under pressure to allow the delivery of German-made tanks to Ukraine, said on Sunday that future decisions on arms deliveries would be made in coordination with allies, including the United States.

Responding to a press conference on the supply of tanks to Ukraine, Scholz said that so far all arms deliveries to Ukraine have been carried out in close coordination with Western partners.

“We will do this in the future,” he said.

Experts estimate that around 2,000 Leopard tanks are in use in 13 European countries, and they are increasingly seen as essential to Ukraine’s war effort as the conflict approaches its second year.

The foreign ministers of the three Baltic states called on Berlin to supply Kiev with Leopard tanks, a day after Germany refused to do so at a meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine.

A German government source said Berlin would approve the transfer of Leopard tanks if the United States agreed to send Abrams tanks, which were not included in Thursday’s US announcement of new military aid. Berlin said that these two problems are not related.

• The condition of Germany allowed to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine

The Polish government suggested that Poland could go ahead regardless of whether Germany gave the green light.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said he had ordered an inventory of Leopard 2 tanks amid growing criticism that he had not made a decision to send the combat vehicles to Ukraine.

The French government has already decided to send AMX 10-RC light combat tanks to Ukraine.

The French Leclerc tank is a French main battle tank that is also available in Romania.