01:28Poland: Warsaw requests German permission to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine - PM Morawiecki
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that Poland submitted requests for German permission to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine, during a press conference in Warsaw on Tuesday.
"We have submitted this request. We await a prompt reply," the minister said.
However, the minister stressed that Germans 'do not want to help Ukraine'.
"I hope that this answer from the Germans will come quickly this time, because the Germans are delaying, being evasive and acting in a way that is difficult to understand. We can see very clearly that they do not want to help Ukraine, which is defending itself, to a greater extent," Morawiecki said.
The politician also noted that the 'coalition of states that want to help Ukraine repel aggression, this barbaric Russian aggression, must expand'.
"Germany is the largest country and should make a huge contribution to this joint coalition of countries that are helping Ukraine. Of course, we are already training Ukrainian soldiers in Poland. Other countries are doing this on their territories as well, so this is nothing new here and we will continue to do so," Morawiecki added.
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 January 20.
On January 22, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that Berlin would not 'stand in the way' of Poland sending its own supply.
01:28Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that Poland submitted requests for German permission to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine, during a press conference in Warsaw on Tuesday.
"We have submitted this request. We await a prompt reply," the minister said.
However, the minister stressed that Germans 'do not want to help Ukraine'.
"I hope that this answer from the Germans will come quickly this time, because the Germans are delaying, being evasive and acting in a way that is difficult to understand. We can see very clearly that they do not want to help Ukraine, which is defending itself, to a greater extent," Morawiecki said.
The politician also noted that the 'coalition of states that want to help Ukraine repel aggression, this barbaric Russian aggression, must expand'.
"Germany is the largest country and should make a huge contribution to this joint coalition of countries that are helping Ukraine. Of course, we are already training Ukrainian soldiers in Poland. Other countries are doing this on their territories as well, so this is nothing new here and we will continue to do so," Morawiecki added.
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 January 20.
On January 22, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that Berlin would not 'stand in the way' of Poland sending its own supply.