Germany will not stand in the way if Poland sends German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock said on Sunday in an interview with French TV channel LCI, Reuters and AFP reported.

Germany will not “oppose” Poland’s desire to supply Ukraine with Leopard tanks, which it insists on, if Warsaw asks for permission, German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock said on Sunday.

Asked what would happen if Poland sent Leopard 2 tanks without Germany’s approval, Burbok said through an interpreter: “This question has not been asked yet, but if we were asked, we would not interfere.”

Pressure is mounting on the German government to supply Ukraine with Leopard tanks, which could have a significant impact on the battlefield against Russian forces.

“We understand how important these tanks are, we are fully aware of that,” Ms. Burbock added.

These statements were made after Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski said that Poland could send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine even without Germany’s consent.

The media reported that Germany would allow Ukraine to supply Leopard tanks if the United States handed over Abrams tanks to Kyiv. However, the German government denied such a request.

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

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.

Amid criticism that he would block the delivery of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said he had ordered an inventory of Leopard 2 tanks to be prepared if allies agreed.

“This is not a precedent, it is just a preparation for the day that may come, in which case we will be able to act immediately and provide support in a very short time, this is a decision between the Federal Republic of Germany … and the transatlantic and NATO partners as a whole, that’s how it’s perceived,” he said.

“We are ready; we are preparing,” he insisted.

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.

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.