Germany Promises Decision on Tanks as Russia Warns Ukraine Allies of Destruction Risk

Boris Pistorius, Germany's Defense Minister, said on Sunday that he expects a decision soon on the delivery of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Annalena Baerbock, Germany's Foreign Minister, meanwhile, said Berlin would not block Poland from sending its own Leopard 2s to Ukraine.
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The comments on Sunday suggest a change in Berlin’s position regarding the tanks after months of pressure to either offer Ukraine some of its own Leopard 2s or at least allow other allies with their own German-made tanks to export them to the war-torn country. This change comes as a result of the increased violence in Ukraine, and the need for more military support in the region.
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Last Friday, defense chiefs from Ukraine's allied nations met in Germany to discuss the issue, but no decision was reached.
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A high-profile Russian official has warned that countries that provide offensive weapons to Ukraine are risking their own destruction, saying it could lead to a "global catastrophe."
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"If Washington and NATO supply weapons that would be used for striking peaceful cities and making attempts to seize our territory, it would trigger a retaliation with more powerful weapons," State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin said.
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At the regular Monday government press conference, German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said that Germany has not yet received a request from Poland for permission to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
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Hebestreit said that once the request is received, "there are certain [formal] procedures" that would need to be followed, but could not provide information on a potential timeline for the decision, according to comments translated by NBC News.
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Poland's prime minister said on Monday that his country would seek Germany's permission to send its own Leopards 2 tanks to Ukraine, but that it was prepared to do so without Berlin's authorization if necessary. Nonetheless, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that Poland wanted to send tanks as part of a coalition of countries doing so.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the conflict between Russia and the West is playing out in Ukraine and is getting closer to a real war, rather than a hybrid one.
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"When we talk about the situation in Ukraine, we are talking about a real war that the West has been preparing for a long time against Russia," he said at a press conference on Monday.
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Lavrov claimed that the West was trying to destroy everything Russian, from language to culture. He said that this has been happening in Ukraine for centuries, and that people are forbidden to speak their native language.
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Lavrov made the comments during a diplomatic trip to South Africa, claiming that Ukraine had blocked negotiations to end the war.
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President Zelenskyy's September decree prohibiting all Ukrainian officials from negotiating with the Russian Federation is the root cause of the lack of negotiations between the two countries.
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Ukraine has said it is willing to negotiate once President Putin is not in power, and when all Russian forces have left its territory. It says it will fight until it has reclaimed all its territory, including Crimea which was annexed by Russia in 2014.
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EU countries and their international partners should work together to ensure that Ukraine is successful in its war against Russia, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Monday.
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"It is crucial that the international community takes action to support Ukraine, so that it can reclaim its right to peace and freedom," Baerbock said before a meeting of EU Foreign Ministers.
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When asked about the issue of exporting Leopold-2 battle tanks to Ukraine, Baerbock declined to make any specific comment.
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On Sunday, Baerbock opened the door to Germany allowing Poland to send its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. This could be a breakthrough for Kyiv, which wants the tanks for its fight against Russia's invasion.
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On Tuesday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will meet with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius in Berlin. This meeting comes at a time of increased tensions between NATO and Russia, and will likely focus on how to maintain a strong and united front in the face of Russian aggression.
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The meeting is taking place at a time when there is a great deal of frustration in Europe over Germany's failure to make a decision about whether or not to allow German-made tanks to be sent to Ukraine.
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Kyiv has been requesting Leopard 2 tanks from its European allies for months, saying it needs them to fight Russia. The war between Russia and Ukraine has been ongoing for over a year, and Kyiv believes that Leopard 2 tanks will give them the edge they need to win.
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Germany has been reluctant to send its own Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, or to allow other countries with the tanks to re-export them to Ukraine, fearing it could be seen as an escalatory move by Russia. Berlin has also said that it would be willing to send such tanks to Ukraine only if the United States also sent its own Abrams tanks.
NATO announced Monday that Stoltenberg was making the trip to Berlin, raising expectations that Germany could be ready to announce it is ready to allow tanks to be sent to Ukraine. This would be a significant development, as Germany has been reluctant to get too involved in the conflict up to this point.
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At the weekend, both Pistorius and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock signaled that a decision would be made about whether or not Poland would be allowed to send its own Leopard 2s to Ukraine. It is unclear at this time whether or not Berlin would give permission for this.
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Although Germany's approval for the re-export of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine is technically required, it is not a major obstacle, as Poland could send those tanks as part of a coalition of countries even without its permission, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Monday.
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The United States and its allies failed to convince Berlin to provide Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine during talks in Germany last week. This is a key demand from Kyiv as it tries to breathe new momentum into its fight against Russian forces.
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Poland is urging countries who have German-made Leopards to send them to Ukraine, even if Germany is unwilling to participate.
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"While we will of course seek the necessary permissions, this is not our primary concern. Even if we did not receive approval, we would still transfer our tanks to Ukraine along with the others," Morawiecki told reporters.
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We need to build a coalition of countries, even if it's just a small one.
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In an interview with French television LCI on Sunday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that Germany would not stand in the way if Poland decided to send its German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
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"It makes sense that there's pressure on Germany, because this weekend the country's foreign minister sent a message that gives some hope that not only will Germany not block sending tanks, but will finally hand over heavy, modern equipment to help Ukraine," Morawiecki said.
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General Valery Gerasimov, Russia's chief of the general staff and newly appointed commander in Ukraine, is likely focused on improving the day-to-day discipline of deployed troops, according to the U.K.'s Ministry of Defence.
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Since he took command, officers have been attempting to clamp down on non-regulation uniform, travel in civilian vehicles, the use of mobile phones, and non-standard haircuts,” the ministry noted in an intelligence update on Twitter Monday.
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The article noted that the measures have been met with skepticism, and that "some of the greatest derision has been reserved for attempts to improve the standard of troops' shaving."
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Officials in the Donetsk People’s Republic have described the prioritisation of clean-shaven soldiers as a ‘farce’ that would ‘hamper the process of destroying the enemy’. Meanwhile, Yevgteny Prigozhin, the owner of the private military company the Wagner Group, has said that ‘war is the time of the active and courageous, and not of the clean-shaven’.
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The U.K. noted that while Russian forces continue to endure operational deadlock and heavy casualties on the battlefield, Gerasimov’s prioritization of largely minor regulations “is likely to confirm the fears of his many sceptics in Russia.” Gerasimov’s focus on small-scale regulations may indicate that he is not confident in his ability to lead Russian forces to victory, which could lead to increased skepticism of his leadership among the Russian people.
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He is increasingly seen as out of touch and focused on presentation over substance.
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Boris Pistorius, Germany's defense minister, said on Sunday that he expects a decision soon on the delivery of German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
Pistorius said that Germany would not make a hasty decision because the government had many factors to consider, including consequences at home for the security of the German population, Reuters reported.
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Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has said that Berlin will not block Poland from sending its own Leopard 2s to Ukraine.
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There is intense pressure on Berlin to allow other countries with Leopard 2s to give them to Ukraine, but it has so far refused to authorize the onward exporting of the tanks, or to offer its own. Last Friday, Ukraine’s allies met in Germany to discuss the issue but no decision was reached. Berlin is under a lot of pressure to let other countries with Leopard 2 tanks give them to Ukraine, but it has refused so far. Last Friday, allies of Ukraine met in Germany to try and reach a decision, but they didn't.
Kyiv has asked its allies to send heavy battle tanks for months, saying they could be decisive in the outcome of the war. The U.K. is Ukraine’s only ally to have pledged to send a number of its own Challenger 2 tanks. France said it has not ruled out sending its own Leclerc tanks to Ukraine.
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The speaker of Russia’s parliament warned on Sunday that countries supplying Ukraine with more powerful weapons risked their own destruction. This followed new pledges of armored vehicles, air defense systems, and other equipment from Ukraine’s allies, but not the battle tanks Kyiv has requested.
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"If the Kyiv regime is supplied with offensive weapons, it would lead to a global catastrophe," Vyacheslav Volodin, State Duma Chairman, said. "If Washington and NATO supply weapons that would be used for striking peaceful cities and making attempts to seize our territory, as they threaten to do, it would trigger a retaliation with more powerful weapons."
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On Friday, Ukraine's supporters pledged billions of dollars in military aid to the country. However, this was overshadowed by defense leaders failing to agree on Ukraine's request for German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks at an international meeting in Ramstein, Germany.
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