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Ukraine Could Finally Get Leopard 2 Tanks to Fight Russia

Leopard 2
Leopard 2 Tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Poland Formally Requests German Permission to Send Leopard 2 Tanks – Poland formally requested Germany’s permission to transfer German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, following weeks of discussions and rumors over whether Berlin will agree to the move.

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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has faced intense pressure from several of his European counterparts to not only agree to the transfer of Polish tanks but to provide an additional batch of tanks from the German military’s stockpile.

Writing on Twitter, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak confirmed on Tuesday that Germany was in possession of a formal request for the Polish tanks to be redeployed abroad.

“The Germans have already received our request for consent to the transfer of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine,” Blaszczak wrote.

“I also appeal to the German side to join the coalition of countries supporting Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks. This is our common cause, because it is about the security of the whole of Europe!”

Leopard 2: Will Berlin Make A Decision?

German officials have already confirmed that Berlin will likely follow the United States’ lead on the delivery of tanks to Ukraine.

Still, on Tuesday, the country’s defense minister confirmed that they are likely to make a decision soon.

Speaking at a press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that if an agreement is to be made on whether to send additional German tanks to Ukraine, Berlin will be in a position to “act very soon.”

Pistorius also defended Berlin for taking its time to make a decision on sending tanks to Ukraine, insisting that Germany is not the only country still working towards making a decision. Pistorius insisted, however, that Germany will not stand in the way of other countries – like Poland – training Ukrainian soldiers on how to use Leopard 2 tanks in the time being.

“We don’t stand in the way of starting the training right away, but we can’t do that until we’ve made a decision about how to handle the Leopard delivery,” the German official said.

The comments seem to suggest that Berlin believes a decision could be imminent. It could also suggest that the United States is preparing to make a decision very soon and that Germanyv will only hold off on making the decision until the White House confirms that the U.S. will also be sending much-needed, modern main battle tanks to Ukraine.

German officials could be right, too, with reports this week suggesting that the Biden administration is on the verge of sending a “significant” number of M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine ahead of an anticipated Russian offensive in the spring.

An announcement from the White House is expected as soon as next week.

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Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive’s Breaking News Editor. He is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.

Written By

Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive's Breaking News Editor. He is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.

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