Defense Minister Says Germany Has Not Made A Decision Regarding The Delivery Of Leopard Tanks To Ukraine

Illustration of the Leopard tank. (Wikimedia Commons/Oscar en el medio)

JAKARTA - Germany has yet to make any decision regarding the delivery of its home-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine, as Poland plans, with any re-export of Leopard tanks requiring approval from the government in Berlin.

German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said Thursday no formal request had been received from allies such as Poland to continue their German-made Leopard tanks.

It comes a day after Poland's president asked a coalition of allies to send their Leopard tanks to Ukraine, increasing pressure on Berlin to grant an export license.

Minister Lambrecht, who is examining the tank brigade involved in NATO's rapid response force, said Germany would decide based on the developing situation in Ukraine.

"I think it's the right approach not to rule anything out, but to always consider what we want to achieve, what the challenges are and always consider our coordination with international partners and allies," he said, launching The National News January 12.

"There is no decision to send battle tanks. This decision has not been made," he continued.

German Minister of Defense Christine Lambrecht. (Wikimedia Commons/U.S. Secretary of Defense)

It is known that the delivery of weapons, which began with helmets and defense weapons, has grown over the past year to deliver drones, helicopters, artillery weapons, and rocket ammunition to air defense systems.

Separately, France last week announced it would send light tanks to Ukraine, the first time a western power has offered such vehicles outright, rather than arranging for former eastern bloc countries to send Soviet-era tanks.

Germany and the US later said they would send light vehicles, including 40 German Marders, with training for Ukrainian troops due in late March.

However, the pressure was enormous on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to deliver the heavy Leopard tanks that Ukraine had long requested.

If Germany gives the go-ahead, Finland and possibly others are said to be able to follow Poland in offering their own Leopard tanks to Ukraine.

Previously, Chancellor Scholz and aides said Germany would not act unilaterally or allow NATO to become a party to war with Russia - while critics say at least one of those reasons no longer holds true after allies began sending tanks.

"The Leopard tanks will be delivered when there is so much pressure there is nothing else to do. Then the Chancellor will immediately follow suit," explained Norbert Roettgen, the leading foreign affairs expert in the German opposition.

"The way Germany acted on military support to Ukraine is a tragedy, because of our reluctance to divide Europe, instead of bringing east and west together in European momentum."