Poland and Finland put pressure on Germany to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine
Finland and especially Poland are on fire to deliver Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine in the war against Russia. Problem: this armored vehicle is German made and German approval is a mandatory prerequisite. However, it came too late.
Helsinki, and even more so Warsaw, was getting impatient. While Finland and Poland say they intend to deliver Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine to strengthen it in its war against Russia, the German deal – a condition sine qua non this sensitive export – long overdue.
“I call on the German government to act”
Because of this, the Polish Prime Minister said on Monday that he was waiting for a quick green light from Germany to supply Leopard tanks to Ukraine. Poland had previously said it was ready to deliver German-made heavy tanks to Kyiv, but needed official approval from Germany to do so.
That’s good: Mateusz Morawiecki will go to Berlin on Monday, specifically to talk about armaments.
“Ukraine’s defeat may be the beginning of World War III, so today there is no reason to block our support for kyiv and postpone things indefinitely. I call on the German government to act decisively by supplying all kinds of weapons to Ukraine,” he said, delivered his remarks on Twitter.
The reasons for the constraints
But why does Poland need German validation to deliver its Leopard 2 “tanks” to its allies? The reason, explained here specifically by Turkey’s Anadolu news agency, is simple: Germany stipulates a contract that the buyer states must obtain his consent before handing over any part of it to a third country.
However, Germany’s Deputy Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck wasted no time in posing for a pose last Thursday, as noted here Internet userthat “Germany must not prevent other countries from making a decision in favor of Ukraine, regardless of the decision taken by Germany”, the signal did not come.
Ukraine wants 300 tanks, Germany is producing 2,000
Even before leaving for Berlin, and still on Monday, the Polish Prime Minister had already set the tone. “I can’t imagine a situation where such an authorization is not given quickly,” he told reporters. “Poland is ready to send Leopards to set a good example,” Marcin Przydacz, international policy adviser to Polish President Andrzej Duda, insisted Monday on private ZET radio.
The question is most sensitive because the Russian war effort is strengthening in Ukraine – as the fall of Soledar shows – and the armies of the invaded countries are poor, in the air but also in terms of weaponry. . Valéri Zaloujny, Chief of Staff of the Ukrainian army, said it very clearly and this, in early December, as I remember Express“I know how to beat the enemy, but I need resources, I need 300 tanks”.
Germany’s reluctance is perhaps surprising when given the urgency of the situation, especially since last spring – as BFM Business points out – to supply 50 to 100 tanks to Ukraine. In addition, Germany has released a large number of Leopard 2 tanks from its factories, a very popular heavy tank model. Accordingly, according Pointsold 2000 in Europe.
International coalition?
Aside from the German agreement, Ukraine’s allies wishing to equip it with armor posed a final problem: international cooperation. Last week, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö conditioned a hypothetical presentation to the STT news agency of the fact that other countries are imitating him.
At the same time, Andrzej Duda snuck in Lviv, in western Ukraine, that Poland was ready to deliver the tanks Kyiv coveted, but “as part of an international coalition”.
So far, the UK has been somewhat isolated in this regard, having announced the donation of 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine last Saturday. And not convinced that the latest turmoil within the German Ministry of Defense has helped much. This Monday, Christine Lambrecht had to turn in her portfolio because there were too many mistakes in this chapter.
