​Poland will seek permission from the German government to supply Ukraine with German-made Leopard battle tanks, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Monday, Reuters and Agerpres reported.

“We will ask for such permission, but this is a secondary issue,” Morawiecki said in Poznań, in western Poland.

Even if Poland does not ultimately win Germany’s approval, it wants to operate as part of a small coalition, he said.

“If Germany is not part of this coalition, we will still transfer our tanks to Ukraine together with others,” added Moravetskyi.

But German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock said on Sunday that Berlin would not oppose a possible decision by Warsaw to send Leopard 2 tanks if the Polish side asked for permission.

“So far, the question has not been asked, but if it were, we would not stand in the way,” she said.

The epic with the supply of Leopard tanks to Ukraine continues

The German government is under increasing pressure, including from its own ruling coalition, 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,” added Burbock.

Her words came after Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski said that Poland could send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine even without Germany’s approval.

“I do not rule out that we are ready to take such a step,” Pavel Yablonskyi told private radio RMF FM last Friday, referring to the possibility of sending Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, even if Germany is against it.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Sunday that he expects a decision on the supply of tanks to Ukraine in the near future, whatever it may be.

Polish President Andrzej Duda first announced on January 11 that his country plans to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine as part of an international coalition.