Germany Called Not Blocking Re-Export Of Leopard Tanks To Ukraine, Kremlin: Everyone Bears Responsibility

German Leopard 2 Tank. (Wikimedia Commons/Bundeswehr-Photos)

JAKARTA - Germany is not blocking the re-export of Leopard tanks to Ukraine, the European Union's top diplomat said on Monday, after Poland promised to send some as long as other countries do too.

The Kyiv government wants the German-made Leopard 2, one of the West's most widely used tanks, to help it penetrate Russian lines and retake territory this year.

Germany, which has to agree to re-exports of its Leopards, is holding back, wary of actions that could lead to escalation with Moscow.

Under intense pressure from some of its allies, Berlin said it was willing to act quickly if there was a consensus among the allies, noting that other NATO members had not formally asked to re-export the tank.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, whose country shares a border with Ukraine, said earlier Monday Warsaw would seek permission to deliver the tanks to Kyiv and was working on getting others.

"Even if we don't get this agreement... we will still send our tanks together with others to Ukraine. Our condition now is to build at least a small coalition of countries," he said.

On Sunday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Berlin would not stand in the way of Poland if it chose to ask. And, on Monday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Germany was not blocking exports of the tanks.

Illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Amio Cajander)

"From what I understand, Germany would not ban the export of these weapons if any EU country wanted them," he said after EU foreign ministers met in Brussels, Belgium, and approved 500 million euros in military aid to Ukraine.

However, Poland's call for a coalition suggests any transfer is still a long way off.

Warsaw said it would provide a company of Leopards - about 14 tanks - the PM but Morawiecki said a transfer only made sense as part of a brigade - a much larger number.

Earlier, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said the tanks must not be held back one more day, while Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said Russia could win the war if Europe "did not help Ukraine with what they need now".

An EU diplomat said ministers then discussed the tanks. "The Germans don't like being pushed around, they warn it could be counterproductive," the diplomat said.

The Polish prime minister said Warsaw would also talk to countries with other modern battle tanks, without naming them.

It is known that about 20 countries operate the tank, including Canada, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey.

Ukraine and Russia are both believed to be planning a spring offensive to break the stalemate in what has become a war of attrition in eastern and southern Ukraine as the first anniversary of a Russian invasion approaches.

"We need tanks, not 10-20, but several hundred," Zelenskiy chief of staff Andriy Yermak wrote on Telegram.

"Our aim is to (restore) the 1991 borders and punish the enemy, who will pay for their crimes," he said.

Separately, the Kremlin said the split in Europe over whether to provide tanks to Kyiv showed there were increasing "jitters" within the NATO military alliance.

"But of course all countries that took part, directly or indirectly, in pumping arms into Ukraine and in raising the level of technology, bear responsibility for continuing the conflict," warned Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.