Poland wants to supply Ukraine with German Leopard 2 tanks and has submitted an official request to Berlin. The federal government is now being asked to review it with “due urgency”. But Poland wants more, namely for the EU to pay the shipping costs.

Leopard 2 tankPhoto: ABACA / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia

Poland has officially asked the German government to supply Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine. Germany “already received our request,” Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak explained on Twitter, tagesschau.de reports. He also called on the government in Berlin to join the coalition of countries supporting Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks.

In this way, Poland puts pressure on its allies in this matter. Last week, President Andrzej Duda announced that the government in Warsaw had decided to transfer 14 Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine. Federal government approval is required to deliver German-made tanks to other countries.

And without consent

On Monday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced that he would apply to Germany for this permission. If Poland does not eventually get German approval, it wants to act as part of a small coalition, Morawiecki said. In this case, “tanks along with others will be redeployed to Ukraine.”

A German government spokesman confirmed receipt of the request and told the German news agency dpa that the federal government wants to consider the request for Polish exports. Such requests will be “dealt with with due urgency in accordance with arms export guidelines,” he said.

Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs Annalena Burbok said on Sunday evening that Germany will not block the possible export of Leopard tanks from other countries to Ukraine. “At the moment, the question has not been asked, but if it hadn’t been, we wouldn’t be standing in the way,” she told a French TV channel.

Poland wants EU funds

Poland also wants to involve the EU in supplying tanks to Ukraine. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said during a press conference: “We will demand compensation from the European Union. This will be a new test of goodwill.”

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