Germany would not block Poland from sending tanks to Ukraine, minister says - Reuters

PARIS, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Germany's overseas curate said connected Sunday her authorities would not basal successful the mode if Poland wants to nonstop its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, successful a imaginable breakthrough for Kyiv which wants the tanks for its combat against Russia's invasion.

Ukrainian officials person been calling connected Western allies to proviso them with the modern German-made tanks for months - but Berlin has truthful acold held backmost from sending them, oregon allowing different NATO countries to bash so.

Asked what would hap if Poland went up and sent its Leopard 2 tanks without German approval, Annalena Baerbock said connected France's LCI TV: "For the infinitesimal the question has not been asked, but if we were asked we would not basal successful the way."

Her remarks appeared to spell further than German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's comments astatine a acme successful Paris earlier connected Sunday that each decisions connected weapons deliveries would beryllium made successful coordination with allies including the United States.

Germany has been nether dense unit to fto Leopards spell to Ukraine. But Scholz's Social Democrat enactment is traditionally sceptical of subject involvements and wary of abrupt moves that could origin Moscow to further escalate.

German defence curate Boris Pistorius said connected Sunday that helium expected a determination soon connected the tanks, though helium kept up a enactment of caution.

Pistorius told ARD TV that Germany would not marque a hasty determination due to the fact that the authorities had galore factors to consider, including consequences astatine location for the information of the German population.

After the Paris summit, Scholz told a quality league that each weapons deliveries to Ukraine truthful acold had taken spot successful adjacent coordination with Western partners. "We volition bash that successful the future," helium said.

Speaking astatine the aforesaid quality conference, French President Emmanuel Macron said helium did not regularisation retired the anticipation of sending Leclerc tanks to Ukraine.

Macron said that sending tanks indispensable not escalate the situation, indispensable instrumentality into relationship the clip to bid Ukrainians to beryllium effective, and indispensable not endanger France's ain security.

"Regarding the Leclercs, I asked the Army curate to enactment connected it, but thing has been ruled out," Macron said, adding that the determination would person to beryllium coordinated with allies specified arsenic Germany successful the coming days and weeks.

German sources have told Reuters they would let German-made tanks to beryllium sent to Ukraine to assistance its defence against Russia if the United States agrees to nonstop its ain tanks. But U.S. officials person said President Joe Biden's medication is not poised to nonstop its ain tanks, including the M1 Abrams.

The Kremlin's spokesperson said connected Friday that Western countries supplying further tanks to Ukraine would not alteration the people of the conflict and that they would adhd to the problems of the Ukrainian people.

Reporting by Andreas Rinke and Leigh Thomas; Additional reporting by Tom Sims; Editing by David Holmes and Andrew Heavens

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