Poland suggests providing Ukraine with Leopard tanks without Germany's consent, Pentagon plans to pressure Berlin on this issue

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said this in a comment on the Polsat News channel.

“Consent is a secondary issue. Either we will get this consent, or we will do it ourselves,” Morawiecki said, adding that several countries have agreed on the delivery of tanks to Ukraine.

“The most important thing here is for the Germans, Danes, Finns, French and other countries to offer their modern tanks and heavy equipment as soon as possible. The ability to defend freedom in Ukraine, and therefore the security of all of Europe, may depend on this,” the Poland’s PM stated.

According to him, the decision to deliver tanks to Ukraine is "key". As reported by various experts and analysts, Russia is preparing for a new offensive, probably in February. Therefore, by this time, Ukraine should receive new weapons and fill gaps in military equipment where necessary. In particular, it is about tanks and IFVs. 

“We will continue to act, we will continue to put pressure on the chancellor's office and Germany so that they respond to our proposal (on the transfer of tanks - ed.) as soon as possible,” Morawiecki said.

As CNN notes, a series of high-level talks on Ukraine took place this week, ahead of a Rammstein meeting on Friday, January 20.

In particular, Lloyd Austin intends to meet with the new head of the German Defense Ministry.  Austin said the two defense chiefs would discuss some of the issues “we'll be looking at tomorrow in the contact group.”

A senior US defense official said on Wednesday, January 18, that Austin was “pressuring the Germans” to allow their Leopard tanks to be transferred to Ukraine to give Kyiv a “crucial-moment capability” to counter any potential Russian spring offensive.

“We are very optimistic that we will make progress on this requirement by the end of the week,” the official added.