Poland expects European allies to send as many as 100 battle tanks to support Ukraine’s defense efforts against Russia’s invasion, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said.
(Bloomberg) — Poland expects European allies to send as many as 100 battle tanks to support Ukraine’s defense efforts against Russia’s invasion, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Tuesday that he’s in talks with allies over potentially supplying German-made heavy Leopard tanks to Ukraine, but cautioned that any announcements would have to come in lockstep with others.
“I spoke to Olaf several weeks ago and tried to encourage him to do more,” Morawiecki told Bloomberg TV in Davos. “We have earmarked our 14 Leopards tanks and now we wait also for Leopards from Denmark, Finland, and Germany and tanks from other countries from the EU.”
The German government is in position to unlock dozens of Leopard tanks for Ukraine, which could significantly boost Kyiv’s capabilities. Twelve other European countries have Leopards in their arsenals, but they need Berlin’s approval before they can transfer the tanks.
The UK on Saturday became the first country to confirm it will send its battle tanks to Ukraine, and European officials who deal with Berlin have said they expect Germany to follow suit in the near future.
–With assistance from Natalia Ojewska, Wojciech Moskwa and Piotr Skolimowski.
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