05:09Germany: 'Not ruling out… just has not decided' - Govt spox sends mixed signals on Leopard tanks to Kiev
German Government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said Berlin had still not decided on Leopard 2 tank deliveries to Kiev, after the foreign minister appeared to suggest a change in policy on Sunday, during a press briefing in Berlin on Monday.
"The German government is not ruling out supplying Leopard tanks, it just has not decided whether it will do so now and that is why we are constantly co-ordinating and consulting with each other and that is the strength of this alliance which has been supporting Ukraine since 24 February," he said.
Berlin has avoided taking a decision on sending the tanks, or allowing other countries to do so, despite crunch talks with allies in the Ukraine Defence Contact Group on Friday.
However, on Sunday, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that Berlin would not 'stand in the way' of Poland sending its own supply, and Hebestreit was asked directly if her remarks represented the administration’s view.
"Let me put it this way, if such a request were to be made in Germany, which is not the case at the moment, then there are well-rehearsed procedures for answering such a request, and we all abide by them," he said.
Moscow has claimed that new arms deliveries will only prolong the conflict and won’t change the outcome.
Meanwhile, Nina Marie Guttler, spokesperson at Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, was repeatedly questioned about a potential loophole in Russian sanctions, regarding oil shipments from India.
"The fact India buys Russian crude oil, converts it to diesel in Indian refineries, and then resells that diesel as Indian diesel, that would not fall under the sanctions, did I understand that correctly?" asked one media representative.
"I mentioned the sanctions regulations before. It would have to be reviewed to see whether that would be subject to sanctions or whether this would be a significant transformation," Guttler responded.
In October, the EU banned maritime transport of Russian crude from December 5, and petroleum products to third countries from February 5, and introduced a price cap of $60 a barrel. Moscow responded that it would not deal with countries abiding by price cap measures.
05:09German Government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said Berlin had still not decided on Leopard 2 tank deliveries to Kiev, after the foreign minister appeared to suggest a change in policy on Sunday, during a press briefing in Berlin on Monday.
"The German government is not ruling out supplying Leopard tanks, it just has not decided whether it will do so now and that is why we are constantly co-ordinating and consulting with each other and that is the strength of this alliance which has been supporting Ukraine since 24 February," he said.
Berlin has avoided taking a decision on sending the tanks, or allowing other countries to do so, despite crunch talks with allies in the Ukraine Defence Contact Group on Friday.
However, on Sunday, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that Berlin would not 'stand in the way' of Poland sending its own supply, and Hebestreit was asked directly if her remarks represented the administration’s view.
"Let me put it this way, if such a request were to be made in Germany, which is not the case at the moment, then there are well-rehearsed procedures for answering such a request, and we all abide by them," he said.
Moscow has claimed that new arms deliveries will only prolong the conflict and won’t change the outcome.
Meanwhile, Nina Marie Guttler, spokesperson at Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, was repeatedly questioned about a potential loophole in Russian sanctions, regarding oil shipments from India.
"The fact India buys Russian crude oil, converts it to diesel in Indian refineries, and then resells that diesel as Indian diesel, that would not fall under the sanctions, did I understand that correctly?" asked one media representative.
"I mentioned the sanctions regulations before. It would have to be reviewed to see whether that would be subject to sanctions or whether this would be a significant transformation," Guttler responded.
In October, the EU banned maritime transport of Russian crude from December 5, and petroleum products to third countries from February 5, and introduced a price cap of $60 a barrel. Moscow responded that it would not deal with countries abiding by price cap measures.