“Nothing is excluded”
Macron has battle tank deliveries checked
01/22/2023 9:58 p.m
During Scholz’s visit to Paris, Macron helped the heavily beleaguered Chancellor in the battle tank dispute. France does not rule out the delivery of French Leclerc to Ukraine, says the president. In line with his German counterpart, he remains vague.
French President Emmanuel Macron does not rule out the delivery of main battle tanks to Ukraine. Macron said in the evening at a joint press conference with Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Paris that he had asked Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu to deal with this issue. “Nothing is impossible,” he added. However, possible tank deliveries would have to be decided and coordinated together with the allies.
With regard to the German-made “Leopard” type battle tank, the SPD politician Scholz again pointed out that delivery to Kyiv would only be possible in coordination with international partners such as the USA, France and other European countries. “We will proceed in the future as we have done in the past, always in close consultation with all our friends and allies and discussing the specific situation,” emphasized the Chancellor. “We only act in close coordination with one another.”
Poland announces “Leopard” delivery – with or without Germany
The Ukrainian leadership has long been calling for Western-style main battle tanks to defend against the Russian war of aggression. Several countries have expressed their willingness to supply “Leopard” tanks – since these come from Germany, the federal government would have to give its consent.
Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki again announced that he would, if necessary, deliver “Leopard” tanks to Ukraine without Germany’s consent. He told the PAP news agency: “We will not stand by and watch Ukraine bleed dry. Ukraine and Europe will win this war – with or without Germany.” If there is no early agreement with Germany, Poland will form a “smaller coalition” with other countries. These countries would then begin supplying some of their “Leopard” tanks to Ukraine without German approval. Morawiecki published a similar statement in English on Twitter.
Recently, the pressure on the federal government to also provide “Leopard” tanks grew. At an eagerly awaited meeting of representatives of the NATO countries and other countries supporting Ukraine on Friday at the US base in Ramstein, no decision was made on the “Leopard” issue.