9 January, 2023
Poland may transfer a small number of Leopard tanks to Ukraine. This will be a symbolic gesture to encourage partners to make a decision on transferring military equipment to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
This was announced by Jakub Kumoch, Adviser to the President of Poland on foreign policy, reports Radio ZET.
He stressed that the transfer of hundreds of pieces of equipment is not currently being considered.
“We need to determine what exactly our allies want to do. How much Leopard will be supplied by Poland? Certainly not everyone. To say that Poland will give several hundred units is absurd. Poland won’t do anything alone,” Kumoch said.
To define the decision, the National Security Council will meet in Poland, where this issue, among others, will be discussed.
Finland
Some politicians in the Finnish parliament also appealed the Leopard 2 tanks to be handed over to Ukraine. The head of the defense committee of the Finnish parliament, Antti Gyakkinen, said that the country should provide such assistance to Ukraine. This will be doable, if other European nations give similar help.
“If Europe is going to start a larger supply of tanks to Ukraine, it would be advisable for Finland to join this process. Of course, with a small contribution of our own, because for us, as a border state with Russia, our own defense capability is always a priority,” he explained.
Germany
Germany also does not rule out the possibility of supplying Leopard 2 tanks. Reuters reports that the alleged transfer of armored vehicles was announced by the Minister of Economy, Vice Chancellor Robert Gabek in an interview with the German television channel ARD.
“Of course, that can’t be ruled out,” he said during the interview.
But the German parliament said that the transfer of such equipment to Ukraine is possible in coordination with international partners.
This position was expressed by Saskia Esken, co-chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, during a debate on the supply of weapons to Ukraine.
“If we act in good coordination, then we are also strong, and this also strengthens the rear of Ukraine,” Esken emphasized, answering a question about the supply of main battle tanks to Ukraine.
After it was revealed that Germany would supply the Marder IFV to Ukraine, discussions about deploying Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine heated up.
At the same time, at the beginning of December last year, some officials of the United States and Germany made statements regarding negotiations on the transfer to Ukraine of armored vehicles, in particular Leopard tanks.
The American authorities were said to support Germany’s decision to transfer tanks but would not insist on it.
The subject of these negotiations was confirmed by Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, Head of the Defense Committee of the Bundestag.
She stated that Allied support was also witnessed during her visit to Washington. In particular, she emphasized that the transfer of tanks to Ukraine was discussed during debates in the State Department, Congress, and the Senate.
“Our partners expect Germany to fulfill its obligations. We should not leave Ukraine. You need tanks,” the Head of the Bundestag Defense Committee wrote on Twitter.
Back in July, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Oleksii Reznikov, told about the prospects for obtaining Leopard tanks. He told about an agreement with one of the friendly countries to Ukraine that was willing to supply this type of weapon. Supposedly, the mentioned country was Spain.
At the same time, in early August, the government decided not to transfer Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, since they were “in an improper state.”
Ukrainian diplomats continued active negotiations on the transfer of heavy armored vehicles to Ukraine. In particular, Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba made a statement on the issue during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Bucharest in late November 2022.
https://mil.in.ua/en/news/poland-may-send-ten-leopard-tanks-to-ukraine/
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