London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Poland can send Leopard tanks to Ukraine, German vice chancellor says

Poland can send Leopard tanks to Ukraine, German vice chancellor says

Because the tanks are German-made, it has been unclear whether Warsaw needed Berlin’s OK to transfer them.
Germany should not stand in the way if Poland decides to send Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said Thursday, seemingly putting the ball in Warsaw’s court on supplying Kyiv with Western tanks.

Polish President Andrzej Duda said Wednesday that a Polish “company of Leopard tanks for Ukraine will be transferred as part of international coalition building,” adding that “such a decision is already [taken] in Poland.” However, it was unclear whether Warsaw would get Berlin’s approval, given the Leopard 2 tanks are made in Germany and have restrictions about being re-exported.

Habeck on Thursday sought to clear up the confusion, arguing Berlin should approve a potential Polish request.

“There is a difference between making a decision for oneself and preventing the decision of others,” said the vice chancellor, who also oversees arms export controls as economy minister. “And accordingly, Germany should not stand in the way when other countries make decisions to support Ukraine, regardless of what decision Germany makes.”

Habeck’s words mark the latest twist in the sharp debate about supplying Ukraine with modern, Western-made battle tanks. The U.S., France and Germany agreed last week to send light tanks and infantry fighting vehicles to Kyiv. And Britain is mulling whether to send Challenger 2 battle tanks. Western tanks could help Ukraine reconquer lost territories as the war drags into its second year.

Although German Chancellor Olaf Scholz can, in theory, have the final word on whether Poland’s German-made tanks go to Ukraine, Habeck’s public statement will make it difficult for him to say no without fracturing his ruling coalition.

Still, Habeck was more cautious when asked whether Germany would send its own tanks to Ukraine, saying the country would make its decision “in alliance with other partners and countries” — a position that echoes Scholz’s line that Berlin must closely coordinate such steps with partners, first and foremost the United States.

A lot will now depend on what Poland actually does: When asked on Thursday whether Warsaw had already asked Berlin for permission to donate its Leopards to Kyiv, a spokesperson for Habeck’s economy ministry referred to a prior statement about the government not being aware of any requests.

German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht also said on Thursday that “there are no requests from Poland or other nations for such [Leopard] deliveries.”

A broad number of European countries currently use Leopard 2 tanks, including Germany, Poland, Denmark, Finland, Spain and Greece. Duda’s remarks about an “international coalition” indicate the Polish leader might not be willing to go alone in sending his country’s tanks to Ukraine.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
Jellyfish Swarm Triggers Shutdown at Gravelines Nuclear Power Station in Northern France
×