Ukraine will receive Leopard tanks from Poland
2023.01.23 09:17
Ukraine will receive Leopard tanks from Poland
By Kristina Sobol
Budrigannews.com – Poland’s prime minister said on Monday that his government would ask Germany for permission to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine, and that they would do so regardless of whether Berlin gave its blessing.
The German-built Leopard 2 tank is desperately wanted by the Kyiv government to break through Russian lines and reclaim territory this year.
EU foreign ministers gathered in Brussels also exerted pressure on Berlin, which must approve Leopard reexports. The foreign minister of Latvia stated that “there are no good arguments” against not providing the battle tanks.
As the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion draws near, the issue has dominated recent discussions among Western allies regarding how much and what kind of material assistance they should provide Ukraine.
When she stated that Berlin would not stand in the way of Poland’s desire to do so, Germany’s foreign minister made it appear as though she was keeping the door open for approval of such shipments on Sunday.
In what has developed into a war of attrition in the eastern and southern parts of Ukraine, it is believed that both sides are planning spring offensives to break the deadlock. The town of Bakhmut in the east is the center of the fighting right now. There, Russian Wagner mercenaries and Ukrainian troops have been fighting.
In the meantime, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, was dealing with a corruption scandal that could dampen Western support for his government.
A deputy minister resigned after an investigation into allegations that he accepted a bribe, and a newspaper reported that the Ukrainian military had allegedly secured food at highly inflated prices.
For months, Ukrainian officials have begged Western allies to provide them with Leopard tanks; however, Germany has refused to send them or allow other NATO nations to re-export them.
Despite significant losses on both sides, front lines have been largely frozen in place for two months following Ukrainian advances in the second half of 2022. According to Ukraine, Western tanks would provide its ground troops with the mobility, protection, and firepower they need to break through the defensive lines erected by Russia and resume their advance.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, whose nation borders Ukraine, stated on Monday that Warsaw would request permission from Germany to re-export tanks to Ukraine.
However, he added: We would transfer our tanks and others to Ukraine even if we did not receive this approval. At this time, we need to form at least a small international coalition.
Last week, Western allies promised billions of dollars worth of weapons to Ukraine, but Germany wouldn’t let go of its veto to provide tanks.
Germany’s foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said on Sunday that her government would not stop Poland from sending its Leopards, suggesting a shift in Germany’s position. Baerbock declined to elaborate on those remarks upon her arrival in Brussels on Monday, nor did she indicate whether she was speaking on behalf of the entire government. “Do everything we can to defend Ukraine,” she said, was crucial.
The Social Democrat party of Chancellor Olaf Scholz argues that the West should avoid sudden actions that could escalate the war. However, a number of allies disagree, claiming that Russia is already fully committed to its attack on Ukraine.
According to Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics, “there are no good arguments why battle tanks cannot be provided at this point.” Russia continues to escalate, so the argument of escalation fails.”
Gabrielius Landsbergis, the foreign minister of Lithuania, said that the tanks shouldn’t be held up for another day. Jean Asselborn, the foreign minister of Luxembourg, said that Russia could win the war if Europe “don’t help Ukraine with what they need now.”
Sunday, lawmakers in the United States urged their government to send M1 Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine, claiming that even a small number would encourage European allies to follow suit.
Britain has stated that it will provide Ukraine with 14 Challenger 2 tanks. Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, stated that he would not rule out sending Leclerc tanks to Ukraine.
Since they are more readily available than British and French tanks and consume less fuel than the turbine-powered US Abrams, leopards are considered the best option for Ukraine.
On Monday, the Kremlin stated that the growing “nervousness” within the NATO military alliance was demonstrated by the divisions in Europe regarding whether or not to provide tanks to Kyiv.
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, stated, “But of course all countries that take part, directly or indirectly, in pumping weapons into Ukraine and raising its technological level bear responsibility” for maintaining the conflict.
Additional military aid for Ukraine was also scheduled to be discussed at the EU foreign ministers’ meeting. Josep Borrell, the head of EU foreign policy, expressed the hope that they would approve a fifth support package worth 545 million euros.
Russia has taken control of parts of Ukraine that it claims it will never return to since its invasion on February 24, 2022, which it has portrayed as a means of defending itself from an aggressive West. Ukraine has stated that it will not negotiate the restoration of its territorial integrity.
During a visit to South Africa, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Ukraine was rejecting peace talks and that the longer this continued, the more difficult it would be to resolve the conflict.
Ukraine and the United States say they don’t see any indication from Moscow that it is serious about negotiating, and they suspect it is trying to buy time to regroup after a series of war defeats. Russia has repeatedly stated that it is open to talks.
Ukraine was also accused on Monday by Russia’s foreign intelligence service (SVR) of storing Western-supplied weapons in nuclear power plants. Reuters was unable to verify the claims because it failed to provide any evidence.
