Poland Pushes for Germany to Grant Permission to Supply Ukraine with Leopard Main Battle Tanks

Poland is pushing for Germany to grant permission to supply Ukraine with German-made Leopard main battle tanks. On Monday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that Poland will ask Germany for permission to send some of the Polish army’s Leopard tanks to Ukraine. This comes as Ukrainian leaders, from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to commanders on the front line, have been asking for more heavy weapons to help repel Russia’s invasion.

Morawiecki said that Poland is building a coalition of nations ready to send Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine. However, in order for this to happen, Poland needs the consent of Germany, which builds the tanks, to send them to a non-NATO country. Poland has become a leading advocate in the European Union for giving Ukraine the military aid that could help it prevail over the Russian forces.

The Leopard 2 is a main battle tank developed by Germany in the 1970s and is currently in service with the armed forces of 18 countries. It is considered one of the most advanced main battle tanks in the world and is armed with a 120mm smoothbore gun, a 7.62mm machine gun, and a 12.7mm machine gun.

The move by Poland to ask Germany for permission to supply Ukraine with Leopard tanks is seen as a step towards providing Ukraine with the military aid it needs to repel the Russian forces. It remains to be seen whether Germany will grant Poland’s request, but it is clear that Poland is pushing for the European Union to provide Ukraine with the necessary military aid.