Polish Prime Minister: We will ask Germany for permission to transfer Leopard, but if they refuse, we will still give them to Ukraine

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki informed that his country will send a formal request to Germany for permission to transfer Leopard tanks to Ukraine. But even in case of refusal, he will still give them.

TVN24 writes about it.

According to him, the formal request that will be sent to Germany is a secondary issue. However, a recent statement by the head of the German Foreign Ministry adds a "spark of hope."

“They have over 350 active Leopards and about 200 in storage. They can really help Ukraine, which is struggling today. This struggle also means a struggle for security, for peace in Europe," he added.

When asked whether Poland has already applied to Germany for permission to send, Morawiecki replied that his country would send this request.

"Even if we donʼt get this agreement in the end, within the framework of a small coalition — even if there are no Germans in it — we will still transfer tanks along with others to Ukraine. The condition for us is the creation of at least such a small coalition of states at the moment," he noted.

• On January 20, the eighth meeting of the Contact Group on Defense of Ukraine was held at the Rammstein Air Base in Germany. German Defense Minister Borys Pistorius said that the Western allies at the Rammstein-style meeting have not yet reached an agreement on providing Ukraine with Leopard 2 main battle tanks. According to him, Germany does not block this decision.
• At the same time, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov informed that the Ukrainian military will already begin training to operate Leopard tanks. This means that as soon as a political decision on deliveries is made, the Ukrainian army will be able to use these tanks immediately.
• White House spokesman for national security and defense John Kirby said that Germany is going through "its own process" on the issue of providing Leopard tanks to Ukraine. According to him, the United States does not put pressure on the Germans.
• According to Business Insider, former German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht, before her resignation, banned the Bundeswehrʼs inventory of tanks in order to delay the governmentʼs response to the supply of Leopard tanks to Ukraine.