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If Germany doesn’t play along, Poland will find other partners to supply Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in scathing remarks, accusing Berlin of hesitating in supporting Kiev against invading Russian forces.
Poland is ready to bypass the German opposition to build a “smaller coalition” of countries and find allies willing to send the tanks to Ukraine, Morawiecki said in an interview with the Polish Press Agency published on Sunday.
“We will not stand by and watch Ukraine bleed to death,” said Morawiecki.
His comments come amid a heated debate over whether to send German-made main battle tanks to Ukraine. Kyiv has requested the weapons to renew its offensive against Russia to retake conquered territory.
Germany has expressed reluctance to send tanks without the US, fearing an escalation in the conflict. Berlin also has a veto over the re-export of arms from one of its allies. Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has denied the blocking of deliveries.
“We are in very close dialogue on this issue with our international partners, especially with the United States,” said Pistorius, who took over the post of defense last week, in an interview with Bild published on Sunday.
Morawiecki had previously stated that he was prepared to make Leopard deliveries without Berlin’s consent.
“Since Minister Pistorius denies that Germany is blocking the delivery of tanks to Ukraine, I would like to hear a clear statement that Berlin supports the dispatch,” the prime minister told the Polish Press Agency.
“The war is here and now. … Do the Germans want to store them until Russia defeats Ukraine and knocks on Berlin’s door?” said Morawiecki.
Political scientist Volodymyr Fesenko said in a statement that Germany was in the process of allowing the tanks to be shipped – and advised “patience and perseverance”. But the broader realization is that Ukraine needs to rebuild its own defense industry in order not to depend solely on foreign aid in the future, he added.