RT.com
21 Jan 2023, 23:43 GMT+10
Berlin will eventually be pressured into signing over the vehicles, officials believe
Ukrainian Defense Minister Aleksey Reznikov stated on Friday that his nation's forces will begin training on German Leopard tanks in Poland, despite the fact that Berlin and its NATO allies have not yet reached an agreement on supplying the tanks.
Speaking to US state media, Reznikov said that in addition to Poland, "countries that already have Leopard tanks can begin training missions for our tank crews."
"We will start with that, and we will go from there," he continued. "I hope Germany will follow their process, conduct their internal consultations, and will arrive at the decision to transfer tanks. I am optimistic regarding this because the first step has been made."
Reznikov spoke following a meeting in Germany of the US-led 'Defense Contact Group' - a panel of nearly 50 countries that meet regularly to pledge new arms packages for Ukraine. While US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin used the occasion to pledge a fresh military aid package worth $2.5 billion to Kiev, Germany did not commit to supplying Leopard 2 battle tanks, or to allowing other European countries to export their own stocks of Leopard 2s to Ukraine.
Poland, however, has threatened to send fourteen Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine even without Germany's permission. Although Berlin's consent is a legal requirement, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki declared on Wednesday that "consent is a secondary issue," and that his government would "do the right thing on our own" if necessary.
Reznikov is not the only Ukrainian official expecting Germany to eventually approve delivery of the tanks. "Germany will do it anyway at a later date," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba told German TV earlier this month. "We have already seen this with the self-propelled howitzers, with the IRIS-T anti-aircraft system and most recently with the Marder and Patriot systems."
Whether the tanks make it to Ukraine or not, Moscow has said it is unconcerned. "Those tanks can burn and they will burn like the rest [of the Western weapons]," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier this week.
(RT.com)
Get a daily dose of Denmark Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Denmark Sun.
More InformationDUBLIN, Ireland: Irish Rail incurred over 26,000 euros in damages due to a series of graffiti incidents carried out by a 24-year-old...
SLUBICE, Poland: Poland reinstated border controls with Germany and Lithuania on July 7, following Germany's earlier reintroduction...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Taoiseach Micheál Martin has expressed cautious optimism that the European Union and the United States can strike...
ZAGREB, Croatia: A massive concert by popular Croatian singer Marko Perković, known by his stage name Thompson, has drawn widespread...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Despite extreme heat gripping much of mainland Europe, Irish holidaymakers are pressing ahead with their travel plans,...
HONG KONG: China has fired back at the European Union in an escalating trade dispute by imposing new restrictions on medical device...
HONG KONG: China has fired back at the European Union in an escalating trade dispute by imposing new restrictions on medical device...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump is drawing praise from his core supporters after halting key arms shipments to Ukraine, a...
Moscow has denounced the deepened military cooperation as yet another sign of NATOs anti-Russia policy Britain and France have unveiled...
New Delhi [India], July 10 (ANI): Special Olympics Bharat president Dr Mallika Nadda spoke on India's participation in the Gothia Cup...
Chennai (Tamil Nadu), [India], July 10 (ANI): Five-time World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand has praised the Chola Chess Initiative...
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], July 9 (ANI): Indian chess sensation R Praggnanandhaa on Wednesday lauded the Chola Chess initiative,...