German Foreign Minister Anna Birbock has said that she will not stand in the way of Poland sending Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
Ukraine has demanded the West supply German-made tanks that it says will help it defeat Russia.
But Germany has yet to supply armored vehicles and its export laws prevent it from sending vehicles to other countries.
On Sunday, Ms Bierbach said Poland had not yet asked for an export permit.
“For now the question has not been asked, but if we are asked, we will not stand in the way,” he told JEE News on Sunday.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Monday that the government would request permission from Berlin. But he said Poland would send tanks to Ukraine, even if it wasn’t allowed.
“However, ultimately we did not get this consent within the framework of a small coalition…. We will still hand over our tanks, among others, to Ukraine,” Mr Morawiecki said.
A German government spokesman said it had not yet received a request to authorize the delivery of Leopard 2 tanks on Monday.
Last week, Mr Morawiecki said that Malik was ready to supply 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv.
On Monday, Marcin Przydacz, a foreign policy adviser to the Polish president, said he welcomed Ms Bierbock’s announcement, but would like to hear Germany’s position confirmed by Chancellor Olaf Schulz.
“It turns out that through dialogue and diplomatic initiatives, Poland is able to change the German position,” Mr Przedak told Polish radio.
However, Warsaw ultimately wants Berlin and its NATO allies to send their Leopards as well, as government officials acknowledge that 14 tanks will have a limited impact on Ukraine’s combat capability.
The Leopard 2 tanks were designed specifically to counter the Russian T-90 tanks, which are being used in the offensive.
There are believed to be more than 2,000 of them worldwide, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that about 300 of them will help ensure a Russian defeat.
Many Allies were disappointed by Germany’s reluctance to send their Leopard 2 tanks.
Under current regulations, Germany must also approve the re-export of its tanks through other countries such as Poland.
After a meeting of more than 50 allied nations on Friday, Germany has not yet committed to supplying the tanks or issuing export licenses. But he denied unilaterally stopping the export of tanks.
In a joint statement on Saturday, the foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania asked Germany to “provide Leopard tanks to Ukraine now”.
