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If Germany won’t play ball, Poland will find other partners to deliver Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said, accusing Kyiv of foot-dragging in its support against Russian forces storming Berlin.
Morawiecki said in a statement that Poland is ready to go around the German opposition to form a “small coalition” of countries and find allies willing to send tanks to Ukraine. Interview with the Polish Press Agency Published on Sunday.
“We will not passively watch Ukraine bleed,” Morawiecki said.
His comments come amid a heated debate about sending German-made battle tanks to Ukraine. Kyiv has requested arms to renew its offensive against Russia to regain captured territory.
Germany has expressed reluctance to send tanks without the US, fearing an escalation of the conflict. Berlin also holds veto power on the re-export of arms from any of its allies. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has denied stopping any deliveries.
Pistorius, who took over the defense post last week, said: “We are in very close dialogue on this issue with our international partners, above all with the US.” Bild Published on Sunday.
Morawiki Hash last state that he was prepared to deliver the Leopard even without Berlin’s approval.
“Since Minister Pistorius denies that Germany is stopping the supply of tanks to Ukraine, I want to hear a clear declaration that Berlin supports sending them,” the prime minister told the Polish press agency.
“The war is here and now. … Do the Germans want to keep them in storage until Russia defeats Ukraine and is knocking on Berlin’s door? Morawicki said.
Political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko said in a statement Germany was moving towards allowing tanks to be sent – and advised “patience and perseverance”. But the broad conclusion was that Ukraine had to rebuild its own arms industry so as not to rely solely on help from abroad in the future, he said.