Poland said it was willing to send German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine without approval, but first asked for permission from Berlin, as Kyiv insisted the ally for heavy weapons.
European countries agreed to spend another 500 million euros ($540 million) to support Kyiv in the latest boost to a multi-billion dollar drive to help Ukraine push back Russian forces.
However, while many countries have promised military hardware, Kyiv is clamoring for more advanced and heavy weapons, especially the powerful Leopard – seen as the key to punch through enemy lines.
Berlin, which must give permission for the tanks to be sent to Ukraine, has come under fire for failing to take a critical decision.
After days of pressure and stalling, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Sunday that Germany would not stand in the way if Warsaw asked to deliver Leopard tanks.
“We will ask for this agreement,” Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told reporters Monday.
“Even if we don’t get that agreement in the end, we will give tanks to Ukraine – in a small coalition of countries, even if Germany is not in that coalition,” Morawiecki said.
Ukraine, which still uses Soviet-era tanks, said the world’s indecision would only “kill more of our people”.
Poland announced earlier this month that it was ready to send 14 Leopard tanks to Kyiv but was awaiting a clear statement from Berlin allowing the transfer.
Berlin stressed that all allies must work together.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s spokesman reiterated that stance Monday, saying the government had “not ruled out” the transfer of the tanks but added: “It has not been decided yet.”
Permission is required
Haunted by its mistakes after World War II, Germany has always acted cautiously in times of conflict.
German law requires countries that buy weapons to seek approval before handing them over.
This is to prevent German-made weaponry from being used in conflict zones against German interests.
On Friday, some 50 countries agreed to supply Kyiv with billions of dollars worth of military hardware, including armored vehicles and ammunition needed to push back Russian forces.
European foreign ministers on Monday agreed to spend an extra 500 million euros to support Ukraine, diplomats said. This takes the total EU public spending to 3.6 billion euros.
Ambassadors were expelled
In the ratcheting up of tensions between Russia and its European neighbors, the Baltic states of Latvia and Estonia said they would expel Russian ambassadors to the country.
Estonia removed its ambassador in a tit-for-tat move after Russia said it was downgrading diplomatic ties with Tallinn due to “total Russophobia”.
A few hours later, Latvia’s foreign minister said it had asked the Russian ambassador to leave in solidarity with Estonia, and because of the continued “military aggression” in Ukraine.
‘Destroyed’ Soledar
In Ukraine’s war-torn east, Russian proxy officials claim to have visited Soledar, a flat town in Ukraine’s Donetsk region that Moscow captured this month.
Denis Pushilin, Moscow’s top official in charge of Donetsk, said last Sunday he had visited the “ruined” salt mining town with Zurab Makiev, a member of the Russian parliament.
Russia claimed control of Soledar on January 13. Ukraine has not officially announced the withdrawal of troops from the city.
Russia’s defense ministry said the capture of the town was an important step towards expelling Ukrainian forces from Bakhmut, a larger mining town.
Pushilin said the fighting in Bakhmut was “intensifying” and said Russian troops were advancing and mercenaries were taking control of strategic places near Bakhmut.
In Moscow, residents braved the threat of arrest to lay flowers at an improvised memorial for at least 46 people killed in a Russian attack on a residential building in Dnipro last week.
“How can I express my feelings about this tragedy. I want to express my sympathy and offer my condolences to those who are suffering today,” Elena Ivanova, a mathematician, told AFP.