Poland finds German reluctance to supply Leopard tanks ‘unacceptable’

Leopard tanks: Warsaw calls Berlin’s attitude “unacceptable”

The Polish Prime Minister described Sunday as “unacceptable” Berlin’s refusal to provide heavy Leopard tanks to kyiv, which insistently demands them at a time when the Russians are on the offensive.

“It has been almost a year since the war started. Innocent people die every day. Russian bombs wreak havoc in Ukrainian cities. Civilian objects are attacked, women and children are murdered,” Mateusz Morawiecki told the Polish News Agency.

Two days earlier, in a meeting of about 50 countries at the US base in Ramstein, Germany, Ukraine’s allies announced substantial new arms deliveries to Ukraine but were not managed to agree on the delivery of heavy tanks, despite repeated requests from Ukraine.

The Polish Prime Minister said he was waiting for “a clear declaration” from Berlin authorizing the sending of Leopard tanks, of which it is a producer, by countries that have them. Poland, which declares itself ready to deliver fourteen units to kyiv, claims to be holding discussions with around fifteen countries on this subject.

« [En cas de refus de Berlin de fournir des Leopard à Kiev,] we will put together a small coalition of countries ready to donate some of their modern equipment, their modern tanks, to a struggling Ukraine,” Morawiecki said.

On Saturday, the three foreign ministers of the Baltic countries had, for their part, urged Berlin “to provide Leopard tanks to Ukraine now”, invoking “the particular responsibility” of Germany, “first European power”.

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