Poland has asked the German government for approval for the delivery of German-made Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine.

"I also appeal to the German side to join the coalition of countries supporting Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks," Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak wrote on Twitter. It's about the security of all of Europe. According to dpa information, the Polish application from the federal government was already available.

Poland is putting pressure on its allies in the matter. The week before last, President Andrzej Duda said that Warsaw had decided to hand over 14 Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced on Monday that Warsaw would ask the federal government for approval. In order to supply German-made tanks to other countries, permission from Berlin is required.

Kremlin warns Germany against supplying tanks to Ukraine

Meanwhile, the Kremlin has warned of a further deterioration in German-Russian relations should the German government have Leopard main battle tanks delivered to Ukraine. "Such deliveries do not bode well for the future of relations," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Russian news agency Interfax. They would leave inevitable traces. The relationship is already at a certain low point.

There is currently no dialogue either with Berlin or with other EU and NATO countries, said Peskow. In the past, Moscow had repeatedly criticized Western arms deliveries to Ukraine as an escalation in the war. Last week, however, the spokesman for Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin also said that even Western battle tanks could not prevent Russia from achieving its war goals. In his view, they would only prolong the suffering of civilians.