Poland to request German consent for Leopard tank transfer to Ukraine

The Polish government will soon submit a formal request to Germany asking it to agree to the transfer of some of Poland’s German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

Piotr Mueller, the government's spokesman, said that the request would be sent in the coming days as "we want to send those tanks as quickly as possible."

Poland has been pressuring Germany to agree to the transfer of about 14 tanks but so far Berlin, which holds the export licence for the Leopards, has declined to do so.

On Sunday, Annalena Baerbock, the German foreign minister, told French television that permission had not yet been sought by Warsaw but that Berlin would not block the move.

Speaking on private broadcaster Radio Plus on Tuesday, Mueller explained why a formal request had not yet been sent.

"Diplomacy is about being effective and we want to be sure through diplomatic channels that such consent will be granted," he said, adding that a more important issue was the building of a coalition of states to send Leopards, of which Poland is the leader.

Mueller went on to explain that there may be more than one request for consent as each country had to apply separately.

"It's also about a political signal and final pressure on Berlin to grant that consent," he said. "It seems that after the declaration of the German foreign minister it is closer, however we will see what the final answer will be."

Mueller said that "soon such a request will be submitted."