As Kyiv presses its allies for heavy weaponry, Poland has stated that it would be willing to send German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine without approval. However, it would first seek permission from Berlin.
In the most recent boost to the multibillion-dollar effort to assist Ukraine in repelling Russian forces, European nations agreed on Monday to spend an additional 500 million euros, or $543 million, to arm Kyiv.
However, Kyiv is clamoring for more advanced and heavier weapons, particularly the potent Leopard 2, which is thought to be essential for breaking through enemy lines. Numerous nations have pledged military hardware.
Berlin has been criticized for failing to make the crucial decision because it needs to grant permission for the tanks to be re-exported to Ukraine.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock declared on Sunday that Germany would not stand in the way of Warsaw’s request to send Leopard 2 tanks, despite days of mounting pressure and stalling.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told reporters on Monday, “We will seek this approval.”
Morawiecki didn’t say when the German request would be made. He stated that Poland is assembling a group of nations in preparation for the delivery of Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine.
Morawiecki stated, “Even if we didn’t get such approval in the end, we will give our tanks to Ukraine anyway – within a small coalition of countries, even if Germany isn’t part of that coalition.”
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‘Killing more of our people’
According to Ukraine, which continues to use tanks from the Soviet era, the world’s uncertainty is only “killing more of our people.”
Poland stated earlier this month that it was prepared to deliver 14 Leopard tanks to Kyiv but was awaiting an explicit Berlin authorization.
Berlin has stressed the importance of cooperation among all allies.
Monday, the spokesperson for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated that position, stating that the government “does not rule out” the transfer of the tanks, but adding: It hasn’t decided yet.
Despite the substantial assistance Berlin has provided, it has been repeatedly criticized for delaying the delivery of military hardware.
Steffen Hebestreit, a spokesperson for the German government, stated that a decision would not be made in a haste and that it was essential for Germany not to take a “reckless” action that it might later regret.
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He continued, “These are difficult questions about life and death.” We have to ask ourselves what this means for our own country’s defense.
When asked how long it might take to decide whether or not to send tanks, Hebestreit stated, I presume that it is no longer a matter of months.
According to Julian Pawlak, a research associate at the University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg, numerous nations, including the United Kingdom and the United States, have provided Ukraine with a variety of weapons, but it is still a “long way before really sending those numbers of 300 tanks or 600 infantry fighting vehicles.”
According to Pawlak, who spoke with Al Jazeera, while Ukraine continues to use tanks from the Soviet era, at some point in the future, “numbers will go down and Ukraine will depend more and more on western ammunition and consequently, also more on western assets.”
Germany has always been cautious when it comes to conflicts because it is haunted by the guilt it felt after World War II.
Poland and other purchasing nations must obtain Berlin’s approval before transferring the Leopard tanks to Ukraine under Germany’s War Weapons Control Act.
The purpose of the act is to stop German-made weapons from being used in conflict areas against Germany’s interests.
The most recent developments regarding Western Europe sending tanks to Ukraine “signalled increasing nervousness among members of the alliance,” according to Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for the Kremlin.
A total of fifty nations agreed on Friday to provide Kyiv with armored vehicles and munitions worth billions of dollars, which are essential for repelling Russian forces.
Diplomats reported that on Monday, European foreign ministers agreed to spend an additional 500 million euros, or $543 million, to arm Ukraine. The total amount spent by the European Union as a whole is now 3.6 billion euros, or $3.9 billion.
In the war, which has seen extensive fighting in the country’s eastern regions, Ukraine has cited the tanks as crucial to its efforts.
As the conflict continues for a second year, neither side shows any signs of giving up.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES