Scholzs Position On Delivery Of Leopard Tanks To Kiev Strongly Depends On Biden

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's position on the delivery of Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine heavily depended on US President Joe Biden's lead on the matter, the Politico newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing two German officials speaking on the condition of anonymity.

According to the report, London's delivery of British-made Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, which is expected to be officially announced at a meeting of Western defense officials at the Ramstein military base in Germany on January 20, will likely increase pressure on the chancellor.

The media reported Monday that France and Poland were pushing Germany to equip Kiev with its powerful Leopard 2 tanks.

On Monday, German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said that Germany did not intend to supply Ukraine with its Leopard tanks.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba expressed his confidence on Wednesday that Germany will eventually supply Leopard tanks to Kiev, saying that the German government initially always refuses to provide certain weapons to Ukraine but, after a while, finally agrees to supply them.

On Wednesday, Polish President Andrzej Duda said that Warsaw, within the framework of an international coalition, will provide a company of Leopard tanks to Kiev following a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Lviv.