The Kremlin has warned that Ukraine will “pay the price” if tanks are sent to Kyiv from the West and NATO along with further military aid.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Monday that they will apply to Germany to seek permission for the re-export of the Leopard 2 main battle tanks.
Morawiecki said, “We will ask [Berlin] for permission, but this is a secondary theme.
“Even if, eventually, we do not get this permission, we — within this small coalition — even if Germany is not in this coalition, we will hand over our tanks, together with the others, to Ukraine.”
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It is now likely that the German Leopard 2 tanks will be sent to Ukraine after Berlin said they will not get in they way for the export to Kyiv.
Moscow has expelled Estonia’s ambassador after the Estonian Foreign Minister joined Lithuania and Latvia in Berlin sending the Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
On Monday the Kremlin upped their threats to Ukraine over military aid being sent to Kyiv and claimed there is a “nervousness” in Europe as leaders are split in sending the tanks.
The Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “But of course all countries which take part, directly or indirectly, in pumping weapons into Ukraine and in raising its technological level bear responsibility [for continuing the conflict].
“The main thing is that it is the Ukrainian people who will pay the price for all this pseudo-support.”
The European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has also said on Monday that he is hopeful EU states will support a €500 million support package to be sent to Ukraine.
The €500 million package is from the European Peace Facility and he hopes Foreign Ministers will back the agreement.
