Ukraine needs several hundred tanks from its Western allies to fight back and retake the territory seized by Moscow’s troops, Andriy Germak, chief of staff to President Volodymyr Zelensky, said today.

“We need tanks — not 10 by 20, but many hundreds,” Andrei Germak wrote on Telegram.

“Our goal is to (restore) the 1991 borders and punish the enemy who will pay for their crimes,” he continued.

Kyiv is calling for the supply of tanks, mainly German-made Leopard 2s, which are used by many NATO countries and require Berlin’s approval to be sent to Ukraine.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said today that his government will seek Germany’s permission to send Leopards to Ukraine, but he plans to send them whether Berlin agrees or not.

German Foreign Minister Analena Berbock said on Saturday that Berlin would not stand in the way if Poland wanted to.

According to the 2019 United Nations Weapons Inventory, Poland has 247 Leopard 2 tanks.

Kyiv has set the withdrawal of all Russian troops from Ukrainian territory as one of the key conditions for ending the 11-month war.

Source: APE-MPE, Reuters.