Berlin promises quick decision on Leopard tanks
Under pressure for days, Germany opened the way on Tuesday for an authorization for allied countries to deliver Leopard heavy tanks insisted on by Ukraine, promising to respond “with due urgency” to the request made to that effect by Poland.
In Berlin on Tuesday, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said he had “Explicitly encouraged partner nations that have Leopard tanks ready for deployment to train Ukrainian forces on these tanks », during a press conference with Jens Stoltenbergthe Secretary General of NATO.
These statements are a step forward in Germany’s position, as the government of Olaf Scholz comes under increasing pressure to agree to member states of the Atlantic Alliance wishing to deliver Leopard tanks to Ukraine. , made in Germany.
So far, Finland and Poland have said they are ready to do so. Warsaw, which wants to create a “coalition of countries supporting Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks”has officially sent a request to this effect, the receipt of which was confirmed by Berlin on Tuesday. “We will process the request with the urgency required in accordance with the procedure provided”assured a spokesman for the German government.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said he hoped for a quick response, “because the Germans delay, procrastinate, act in a way that is difficult to understand”. The head of NATO, for his part, hailed the “clear message” of new German Defense Minister, in office for less than a week. Reiterating the importance of providing more heavy weapons to Kyiv, Mr. Stoltenberg said ” confident “ in the fact that a solution will be ” soon “ found on tanks.
“Such deliveries will bring no good” to Russian-German relations, on the other hand reacted on Tuesday the spokesman of the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, judging that this “would leave an indelible mark”.