Finland linked the possibility of transferring Leopard tanks to Ukraine with the position of Germany

Finland’s decision to transfer Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine will depend on Germany’s position on this issue. Such a statement done Acting Minister of Defense of Finland Mikko Savola in an interview with Reuters.

“In the matter of transferring Leopard 2 tanks, a lot will depend on how Berlin behaves. The procedure itself requires an export permit from Germany,” he said.

Savola also noted that it depends on the German military-industrial complex what weapons Finland will receive in exchange for Leopard 2 tanks, which can be sent to Ukraine.

January 12 President of Finland Sauli Niinistö allowedthat the country can transfer Leopard tanks to Ukraine, but only a small number. She explained that this is due to the fact that Finland is not part of NATO and borders on the Russian Federation. On January 10, the TV and radio company Yle, citing a source, reported that the Finnish authorities would consider sending tanks to Kyiv if this step was supported by a “group of several states.”

On January 11, at a meeting of the leaders of Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania in Lvov, Polish President Andrzej Duda declaredthat Warsaw would transfer a company of Leopard tanks to Kyiv. Leopard 2 tanks are German-made weapons. To transfer military equipment to Kyiv, Warsaw must first obtain the approval of Berlin.

Also in Berlin remindedthat the transfer of tanks without the permission of the Federal Republic of Germany would be illegal. According to the representative of the German Cabinet of Ministers, Christiane Hofmann, at that time the allied countries had not yet turned to Germany with such a request.

At the same time, a number of German politicians believe that Berlin should not prevent other countries from making a decision on military support for Ukraine. In particular, such a statement was made by the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection Robert Habek, commenting on Warsaw’s plans to transfer Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

On January 13, the head of the Bundestag (German parliament) defense committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, also called on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to allow Warsaw to send tanks to Ukraine. It is expected that Berlin will make a decision on the supply of German-made weapons to Kyiv this week, wrote formerly Bloomberg.