Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Thursday that Poland must either get permission to transfer German-made tanks to Ukraine “or we will do the right thing ourselves”.
Any transfer of Leopard 2 main battle tanks would normally require permission from Berlin, as they are made in Germany.
Asked about Germany’s delay in approving the transfer, Morawiecki said Poland had provided Ukraine with 14 tanks.
“At the same time, we have to make sure that those needs are met by others. Of these, by far the least proactive are the Germans,” he said in a video interview on his way back from the International Economic Forum in Davos.
“We will continue to work hard, we will continue to push the Chancellery and Germany to respond to our proposal as quickly as possible.”
New Secretary of Defense: Morawiecki was also asked if he expected changes when Boris Pistorius, who has called for the easing of sanctions on Russia, took over as German defense minister.
“It worries me. I don’t know much about the new German defense minister. What I know makes me a little anxious,” Morawiecki said.
But Morawiecki added that Pistorius should be given “a few days” to see “what his first steps will be”.
We agreed that we would hand over the tanks together,” he said. “Agreement is secondary. We either get consent or do the right thing ourselves. “
“The most important thing for the Germans, Danes, Finns, French and others is to deliver their modern tanks and heavy equipment as quickly as possible,” Morawiecki said. “The ability to defend the freedom of Ukraine, and thus the The security of Ukraine and the whole of Europe probably depend on it.”
“Encourage and motivate others”: Poland has sent 250 tanks to Ukraine, Morawiecki told CNN’s Richard Quest on the sidelines of the International Economic Forum on Wednesday.
“We were the first to deliver the Panther tank and we are now encouraging and motivating others, especially the Germans, to make their contribution,” he said.
“Right now, the Panther tank is our next round of support for Ukraine. The crucial point is whether the Germans will finally give up their heavy artillery, especially heavy and modern tanks,” Morawiecki said.
“This is the main problem, because adding 14 tanks on top of 250 tanks is not a game changer, but if France, especially Germany and some other countries provide 20-30 tanks each, then Ukraine may be different, ’ he added.
Some background: Pressure is mounting on Western allies to supply Ukraine with heavy main battle tanks.
France, Poland and the UK have pledged to soon send tanks to the Ukrainian army, which they will use to protect themselves from Russia. Finland is considering following suit.
Germany has said it will transfer infantry fighting vehicles to Kyiv but has not committed to sending tanks. Chancellor Olaf Schulz insisted that any such plan would need to be fully coordinated with the entire Western alliance, including the US.
Western allies are due to meet tomorrow at the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany to discuss further military aid to Kyiv.