Poland has officially sought permission from Germany to transfer its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, said Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak on Tuesday. This comes as Berlin is facing mounting pressure from European allies to send tanks to Kyiv amid its ongoing conflict with Russia.
The Polish defence minister took to Twitter and wrote, “The Germans have already received our request for consent to the transfer of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. I also appeal to the German side to join the coalition of countries supporting Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks. This is our common cause, because it is about the security of the whole of Europe!”
However, Germany is yet to confirm if they have received such a request from Warsaw yet. Berlin’s approval is required for the re-export of Leopard tanks, however, they have been reluctant as it believes it will escalate the conflict with Moscow. This comes after the German foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, on Sunday, said that their government “if we were asked we would not stand in the way,” referring to the request for the Munich-based defence company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann manufactured Leopard 2 tanks.
(With inputs from agencies)
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