By KYIV. Jan 13 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Berlin will decide next week whether to supply German tanks to Ukraine, Bloomberg said on Friday, citing a source in the German government.
"Berlin will make a decision before a meeting of senior defense officials from allied nations at the American airbase in Ramstein on January 20, according to a German official familiar with the plans," the agency said.
The day before this meeting, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin are expected to hold talks in Berlin. Then, on January 20, Lambrecht will announce a decision on tanks in consultations with the Allies in Ramstein.
Another source told Bloomberg that Germany is increasingly required to supply tanks to Ukraine.
The day before, Lambrecht said the issue of deliveries of German tanks to Ukraine is not yet on the agenda.
Last Wednesday, Polish President Andrzej Duda said Poland was ready to send German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Western media, however, specified that although Poland and Finland expressed a desire to supply German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, they need to obtain permission from Berlin to do this, because of the restrictions on arms exports adopted by Germany.
German government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffman said Warsaw had not yet applied to Berlin with a request to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
