wPolityce: Warsaw criticized Germany's position on sending "Leopards" to UkraineBerlin is looking for any excuse not to supply weapons needed by Kiev, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Piotr Wawrzyk was quoted as saying by wPolityce.
In Poland, Germany's consent to the transfer of tanks is considered as a "secondary issue", and either Warsaw receives it, or it does what it needs.
"Germany does not change its policy, which is to look for any excuse not to supply weapons needed by Ukraine; they carry out deliveries only after pressure from international public opinion and allies," Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Piotr Wawrzyk said in the studio of the Polish Press Agency (PAP) on Thursday.
The Germans use any excuse
As The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing senior German officials, Berlin will not allow German Leopard tanks to be exported to Ukraine if the United States does not send its vehicles there. Earlier, President Andrzej Duda announced the transfer of the Leopard 2 tank company to Ukraine. Since they are manufactured by Germany, the key point is the consent of the Germans to transfer them to another non-NATO state.
On January 19, Deputy Foreign Minister Petr Vavzhik, in an interview with PAP, referring to reports from The Wall Street Journal, said that "Germany does not change its policy, which is to look for any excuse not to supply weapons needed by Ukraine."
"The wording according to which it makes its actions dependent on the actions of another country is a little surprising," he added.
According to Vavzhik, the German government "tries to the maximum extent not to supply weapons to Ukraine." The diplomat noted that she does this only under pressure from international public opinion and allies.
According to the deputy minister, "Germany, as a favor, sends some kind of semblance of weapons to Ukraine only when further resistance no longer makes sense, since it can spoil relations with some countries."
"You have to pay any price"
The Deputy Foreign Minister also commented on the statement of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who said the day before that Germany's agreement on the transfer of tanks is "a secondary issue; either we get it quickly, or we do it the right way."
"You have to pay any price," Vavzhik said. "This is a security issue, and not only for Poland, but also, of course, for Germany itself, because I am sure that if, unfortunately for us, Putin had won in Ukraine, he would have gone further." The diplomat also noted that in the event of an attack on one of the NATO countries, all countries, including Germany, will have to fulfill their allied obligations.
Meeting at the Ramstein base
On Friday, January 20, defense ministers of several dozen countries will meet at the Ramstein US Air Force Base in Rhineland-Palatinate to discuss further military support for Ukraine. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is expected to hold talks with German partners.
"I think that very important statements will follow after this meeting," the deputy minister said.
On January 11, in Lviv, President Andrzej Duda said that Poland had decided to transfer a Leopard 2 tank company (10-14 vehicles) to Ukraine as part of the creation of an appropriate international coalition. According to him, Poland wants "it to be an international coalition." The President stressed that we are talking about this coalition transferring to Ukraine such a number of tanks that together they make up a significant combat unit – meaning a brigade combat unit.
Since the Leopards are manufactured by Germany, the key is the consent of this country to transfer these machines to another state that is not part of NATO. German Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck of the Green Party told the WELT news channel that everything is fine and "if other countries want to help, they do not need to be hindered and their aid should not be blocked."
The Pentagon and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also expressed support for the initiative to transfer modern tanks to Ukraine. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he would hand over British Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine.
Leopard 2 is the main tank produced by the German concern Krauss-Maffei Wegmann. Its first versions entered service with the German army in 1979-1980; since then, new versions of these machines have been produced. Currently, Leopard 2 is used by many European countries, including Germany, Poland, Turkey, Spain, Greece, Denmark and Norway, as well as non-NATO countries, such as Sweden, Finland, Austria and Switzerland.
