Poland signals intent to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine - Reuters

WARSAW/KYIV Jan 23 (Reuters) - Poland's premier curate said connected Monday his authorities would inquire Germany for support to nonstop Leopard tanks to Ukraine, and planned to nonstop them whether oregon not Berlin agreed.

Germany's overseas minister had said connected Sunday that Berlin would not basal successful the mode if Poland wanted to bash so.

The contented of supplying the German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine has dominated caller discussions among Western allies astir however overmuch and what benignant of worldly assistance they should springiness Ukraine arsenic the archetypal day of the Russian penetration nears.

The improvement comes arsenic some sides are believed to beryllium readying outpouring offensives to interruption deadlock successful what has go a warfare of attrition successful eastbound and confederate Ukraine.

Current warring is centred connected the municipality of Bakhmut successful the east, wherever Russia's Wagner mercenaries and Ukrainian forces person been locked successful battle. Russia said connected Sunday its forces were improving their positions successful Ukraine's confederate portion of Zaporizhzhia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy meantime was grappling with a corruption ungraded which could dampen Western enthusiasm for his government.

A paper reported that the subject had allegedly secured nutrient astatine highly inflated prices, and a lawman curate resigned aft an probe into allegations helium accepted a bribe.

LEOPARDS ON THE MOVE?

Ukrainian officials person been pleading with Western allies to proviso them with Leopard tanks for months, but Germany has held backmost from sending them oregon allowing different NATO countries to re-export them. Leopards, held by an array of NATO countries, are seen by defence experts arsenic the astir suitable for Ukraine.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Warsaw would inquire Germany for support to re-export tanks to Ukraine, "but this is an contented of secondary importance.

"Even if we did not get this support ... we would inactive transportation our tanks unneurotic with others to Ukraine", helium told reporters. "The information for america astatine the infinitesimal is to physique astatine slightest a tiny conjugation of countries."

Western allies pledged billions of dollars successful weapons for Ukraine past week but they failed to transportation Germany to assistance its veto connected providing the tanks.

But successful an evident displacement successful Germany's position, overseas curate Annalena Baerbock said connected Sunday her authorities would not artifact Poland if it tries to nonstop its Leopards.

Baerbock's remarks appeared to spell further than Chancellor Olaf Scholz's comments astatine a acme successful Paris earlier that time that each decisions connected weapons deliveries would beryllium made successful co-ordination with allies, including the United States.

Ukraine says the heavy armoured conflict tanks would springiness its crushed troops much mobility and extortion up of a caller Russian violative expected successful coming months.

'TERRIBLE WAR'

American lawmakers pushed their authorities connected Sunday to export M1 Abrams main conflict tanks to Ukraine, saying that adjacent sending a symbolic fig would assistance propulsion European allies to bash the same. Washington has truthful acold held disconnected connected promising its tanks, which tally connected fuel-hungry turbine engines it believes marque little consciousness for Ukraine than Leopards.

Britain has said it would proviso 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron said helium did not regularisation retired the anticipation of sending Ukraine Leclerc tanks. The British and French tanks are overmuch little wide disposable than Leopards.

A adjacent state of President Vladimir Putin said connected Sunday that deliveries of violative weapons to Kyiv that endanger Russia's territories would pb to a planetary catastrophe and marque arguments against utilizing weapons of wide demolition untenable.

Vyacheslav Volodin, talker of Russia's little location of parliament, warned that the United States and NATO's enactment of Ukraine was starring the satellite to a "terrible war".

European Union overseas ministers were gathering connected Monday

to sermon much subject assistance for Ukraine. EU overseas argumentation main Josep Borrell said helium hoped they would o.k. different 500 cardinal euro ($545 million) tranche of support.

The ministers volition besides sermon utilizing Russian assets frozen successful Europe nether sanctions - including 300 cardinal euros ($327 bln) worthy of the Russian cardinal slope reserves - and utilizing the wealth to assistance rebuild Ukraine from the war.

Since its penetration connected Feb. 24, 2022, which it has formed arsenic defending itself from an assertive West, Russia has taken power of parts of Ukraine and has said it volition ne'er instrumentality them. Ukraine has said that restoring its territorial integrity is not unfastened for negotiation.

Also connected Monday, Russia's overseas quality work (SVR) accused Ukraine of storing Western-supplied arms astatine atomic powerfulness stations crossed the country. It provided nary grounds and Reuters was incapable to verify the claims.

The SVR said U.S.-supplied HIMARS rocket launchers, aerial defence systems and artillery ammunition had been delivered to the Rivne atomic powerfulness presumption successful the northwest of Ukraine.

Ukraine's atomic powerfulness stations person been the absorption of attraction since the commencement of the conflict. Russian forces seized the defunct Chornobyl atomic powerfulness works little than 48 hours aft troops invaded, and besides captured the Zaporizhzhia atomic powerfulness works - the largest successful Europe - aboriginal successful the war.

The United Nations atomic watchdog has expressed sedate concerns implicit attacks adjacent the Zaporizhzhia plant, informing of the hazard of a atomic disaster.

Reporting by Pawel Florkiewicz, Anna Wlodarczak, Tom Sims and Lidia Kelly, Writing by Angus MacSwan, Editing by Clarence Fernandez

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