Ukraine updates: Poland could send tanks without approval - DW (English)

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has said Warsaw could nonstop Kyiv Leopard 2 tanks without Germany's permission.

"We volition inquire for specified permission, but this is an contented of secondary importance," Morawiecki said. "Even if we did not get this approval, we would inactive transportation our tanks unneurotic with others to Ukraine."

 "Even if Germany is not successful this coalition, we volition manus implicit our tanks, unneurotic with the others, to Ukraine."

Morawiecki said German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock's connection connected Sunday that Berlin would not obstruct Polish efforts to nonstop German-made tanks to Ukraine represented a "spark of hope" that Germany mightiness articulation the conjugation of countries acceptable to nonstop Ukraine tanks.

"We are perpetually exerting unit connected the authorities successful Berlin to marque its Leopards available," the Polish premier said. He added that Germany has "more than 350 progressive Leopards and astir 200 successful storage."

Here are different updates connected the warfare successful Ukraine connected Monday, January 23:

German MP says conflict vessel determination needs much time

Speaking to DW connected Monday, German Bundestag subordinate Ralf Stegner said Germany's hesitation on sending conflict tanks to Ukraine is not based connected an an "implicit" refusal to bash so, and emphasized that the authorities is taking its clip successful bid for details to beryllium agreed upon in coordination with Germany's allies.

"It's not Germany connected the brakes, but it's antithetic countries with antithetic opinions," said Stegner, who is simply a subordinate of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left Social Democrats (SPD).

"If you comparison the authorities of Poland, for instance, oregon what the authorities of France says, determination are antithetic sides to that," helium said, adding that providing warring tanks is a "very hard decision."

"We privation to marque those decisions with our allies together, not arsenic a indebtedness determination from Germany," helium added.

Stegner besides chimed successful connected the nationalist statements made by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock connected Sunday, successful which she said Germany would not basal successful the mode of Poland if it wished to nonstop its German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine.

He explained that though it is not "surprising" that Germany would not privation to basal successful the mode of different countries providing tanks, "it's conscionable not accustomed to communicate" this benignant of contented without pursuing procedure. 

"I don't cognize wherefore the overseas curate said thing public," helium said. 

The lawmaker said these benignant of decisions are made successful a "confidential gathering of a applicable peculiar committee, aft which results would beryllium made public."

EU overseas ministers hold to €500-million assistance package

EU overseas ministers person agreed to another €500 cardinal ($545 million) tranche of subject assistance for Ukraine.

The magnitude earmarked for Ukraine's subject from EU coffers has risen to €3.6 billion. This magnitude is abstracted from nationalist spending by idiosyncratic subordinate states. 

In total, European countries person pledged implicit €11 cardinal connected weapons for Ukraine. 

Ministers are besides expected to sermon utilizing Russian assets frozen nether sanctions to assistance finance reconstruction successful Ukraine. This includes €300 cardinal worthy of Russian cardinal slope reserves.

British concern regular Financial Times reported connected Monday that European Council President Charles Michel urged the bloc to propulsion guardant with talks connected the measure.

Michel wants to research the thought of managing the Russian cardinal bank's frozen assets to make profits, which would past beryllium earmarked for reconstruction efforts, the Financial Times reported him arsenic saying.

Kyiv says it needs 'several hundred' tanks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's main of unit has said Ukraine needs "several hundred" tanks to propulsion backmost Russian forces amid Berlin's hesitancy implicit Leopard 2 deliveries.

"We request tanks — not 10-20, but respective hundred," Andriy Yermak wrote connected Telegram. "Our extremity is [restoring] the borders of 1991 and punishing the enemy, who volition wage for their crimes."

Ukraine declared its independency from the Soviet Union successful 1991. Russia took implicit the Crimean Peninsula successful 2014, and claimed to person annexed parts of the southern and eastbound Ukraine successful September 2022.

Berlin to travel 'well-established procedures' for vessel requests — spokesman

German authorities spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said Berlin volition travel "well-established procedures" successful considering requests to proviso Kyiv with tanks.

"I would possibly similar to enactment it this way: If specified a petition were to beryllium made successful Germany, which is not the lawsuit astatine the moment, past determination are well-established procedures for answering specified a request. And we each abide by them," helium said.

"We person passionate debates and these passions occasionally pb to exaggerations connected each sides," helium said, referring to the statement astir vessel deliveries.

Former Wagner commandant successful Norway not facing deportation — lawyer

Andrei Medvedev, a erstwhile commandant of the Wagner mercenary group who fled to Norway, is successful nary hazard of being deported, according to his lawyer.

"The hazard of him being deported? It is zero," Medvedev's Norwegian lawyer Brynjulf Risnes told the Reuters quality agency.

Risnes said that Medvedev had been detained arsenic determination was "disagreement" betwixt Medvedev and constabulary connected measures taken to guarantee his safety.

Earlier connected Monday, the Gulagu.net rights radical said that Medvedev was detained and handcuffed connected Sunday evening and told helium would beryllium deported. 

The former commandant said helium feared for his life aft witnessing the sidesplitting of Russian deserters who had been brought to Ukraine by the Wagner Group. He claimed his four-month declaration had been repeatedly extended without his consent.

"We bash not whitewash Medvedev. He has done galore atrocious things successful his life," Gulagu.net said. "But helium has seen the light, helium has realized this, helium is acceptable and consenting to cooperate with the world, with the planetary probe and with the authorities of Norway, helium wants to unrecorded and attest [against Wagner]."

Russia, Estonia downgrade diplomatic ties implicit Ukraine tensions

Moscow has said it is downgrading diplomatic relations with Estonia and ordered its ambassador to leave, with Tallinn responding successful kind.

Estonia has argued powerfully successful favour of Germany providing Leopard conflict tanks to Kyiv.

The Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry said it had told Estonia's envoy helium indispensable permission adjacent month. Both countries volition beryllium represented successful each other's capitals by an interim complaint d'affaires alternatively than an ambassador, the ministry said.

Estonian Foreign Affairs Minister Urmas Reinsalu said that Tallinn told the Russian ambassador to permission by February 7.

"We volition proceed to enactment Ukraine arsenic Russia is readying large-scale attacks, and we telephone connected different like-minded countries to summation their assistance to Ukraine," Reinsalu said.

"In caller years, the Estonian enactment has purposefully destroyed the full scope of relations with Russia," said a connection from Russia's Foreign Ministry. "Total Russophobia, the cultivation of hostility toward our state person been elevated by Tallinn to the fertile of authorities policy."

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: "The Estonian authorities has gotten what it deserved" successful having ties downgraded.

Russian quality accuses Kyiv of storing arms astatine atomic powerfulness stations

Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service SVR has accused Ukraine of storing Western-supplied arms astatine atomic powerfulness stations.

The Reuters quality bureau said it could not verify the claims.

"The Ukrainian equipped forces are storing weapons and ammunition provided by the West connected the territory of atomic powerfulness plants," the SVR said successful a statement.

Russia: No day acceptable for START talks with US

Moscow has said nary day has been acceptable for talks with the United States connected the New START treaty, which aims to bounds the fig of atomic warheads successful the 2 countries.

"The concern does not, frankly speaking, let for mounting a caller date, taking into relationship this escalation inclination successful some rhetoric and actions by the United States," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov was cited by the authorities Interfax quality bureau arsenic saying.

In November, Russia said it had "no different choice" but to cancel talks with the US implicit inspections nether the New START treaty. The accord is acceptable to expire successful February 2026.

Zelenskyy pledges enactment pursuing corruption scandal

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has promised "powerful steps" to beryllium taken to antagonistic alleged corruption successful Kyiv.

"Society volition person afloat information, and the authorities volition instrumentality the indispensable almighty steps," the Ukrainian caput of authorities said.

"I don't privation to denote [the steps] now, but it volition each beryllium fair," helium said. "I privation this to beryllium clear: determination volition beryllium nary instrumentality to what utilized to beryllium successful the past."

Deputy Infrastructure Minister Vasyl Losynskii was detained earlier this week by Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau. He is accused of taking a bribe for the acquisition of powerfulness generators. Zelenskyy said Losynskii has since been released.

Ukraine's president besides addressed media reports that civilian servants person enriched themselves portion soldiers person been sold overpriced food.

Zelenskyy, who heads the Servant of the People party, was elected successful 2019 connected an anti-corruption platform.

More DW sum connected the warfare successful Ukraine

DW takes a look into however Russian authorities media portrays Germany and its leadership.

A fig of German politicians person criticized Berlin's hesitancy to proviso Kyiv with Leopard 2 tanks.

sdi/rc (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)

While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors circular up what is happening successful German authorities and society. You tin motion up present for the play email newsletter Berlin Briefing.