France and Poland press Germany to give Leopard tanks to Ukraine

They cited a French official who spoke on condition of anonymity as saying this, Politico has reported.

France and Poland are trying to persuade Germany to transfer Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine to help counter full-scale Russian aggression.

Paris hopes to get Berlin's agreement before the Franco-German summit on 22 January marking the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Elysée Partnership Treaty.

The Ukrainians do want the Leopard because there are plenty of them in stockpiles across Europe.

One element of the pressure is President Emmanuel Macron's statement about deliveries of French wheeled tanks. It is also worth recalling that Poland recently announced its readiness to transfer a dozen Leopards from its warehouses to Ukraine.

Germany still says it is not ready to transfer its tanks to Ukraine.