BERLIN — Germany should not stand in the way if Poland decides to send Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said Thursday, putting the ball in Warsaw’s court on supplying Kyiv with Western tanks.
Polish President Andrzej Duda Told on Wednesday that a Polish “company of Leopard tanks would be transferred to Ukraine as part of international coalition building,” adding that “such a decision is already [taken] In Poland.” However, it was unclear whether Warsaw would get Berlin’s approval, given that the Leopard 2 tanks are made in Germany and are banned from being re-exported.
Habeck sought to clear up the confusion on Thursday, arguing that Berlin should accede to a possible Polish request.
“There is a difference between making decisions for oneself and withholding the decisions of others,” said the chancellor, who as economy minister also oversees arms export controls. “And accordingly, Germany should not stand in the way when other countries decide to support Ukraine, regardless of what Germany decides.”
Habek’s words mark the latest twist in the case hot debate Regarding the supply of Ukraine with modern, Western-built battle tanks. The US, France and Germany agreed last week to send light tanks and infantry fighting vehicles to Kyiv. And Britain is considering Whether to send Challenger 2 battle tank or not. Western tanks could help Ukraine regain lost territory as the war moves into its second year.
Although German Chancellor Olaf Scholz could, in theory, make the final decision on Poland moving German-built tanks to Ukraine, Habek’s public statement would make it difficult for him to say no without fracturing his ruling coalition.
Still, Haebeck was more cautious when asked whether Germany would send its own tanks to Ukraine, saying the country would make its own decision “in alliance with other partners and countries” – a position that echoes Scholz’s line. That Berlin should closely coordinate such steps with partners, first and foremost the United States.
Now much will depend on what Poland actually does: When asked on Thursday whether Warsaw had already asked Berlin for permission to donate its leopards to Kyiv, a spokesman for Habeck’s economy ministry told the government referred to an earlier statement about not being aware of any requests from ,
German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht also said on Thursday that “there has been no request from Poland or other countries for such [Leopard] Distribution.
A wide number of European countries currently use Leopard 2 tanks, including Germany, Poland, Denmark, Finland, Spain and Greece. Duda’s comments about an “international coalition” indicate that the Polish leader may not be willing to go it alone in sending his country’s tanks to Ukraine.