(new: more details and background)

WARSAW (dpa-AFX) - Poland will ask the German government for permission to supply German-made Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine. "We will request such a permit, but this is a secondary issue," head of government Mateusz Morawiecki said in Poznan on Monday. He did not give a timetable for the request. Morawiecki went on to say that even in the event that Poland does not end up getting Berlin's approval, they want to act within the framework of a small coalition. "If the Germans are not in this coalition, we will still move our tanks to Ukraine together with others," Morawiecki added.

According to Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Germany would not oppose the delivery of Leopard battle tanks from other countries to Ukraine. "We have not been asked so far and (...) if we were asked, we would not stand in the way," the Green politician told French broadcaster LCI on Sunday evening. Baerbock was responding to a question about what would happen if Poland supplied Leopard tanks to Ukraine. However, it initially remained unclear whether she was actually representing a final coordinated position of the German government. German government approval is required to supply German-made tanks to other countries.

At the Ukraine conference in Ramstein on Friday, Germany had not yet decided to supply battle tanks to the war zone, despite considerable pressure from its allies. The German government also did not yet issue a delivery permit to other countries for the German-made tanks.

Poland is putting pressure on the allies in the matter. Already last week, President Andrzej Duda had said that Warsaw had already decided to provide Ukraine with Leopard main battle tanks for one company. According to a Polish military expert, the term company includes 14 main battle tanks. Morawiecki had already announced on Sunday that, if necessary, action would be taken without Berlin's approval.

In Poznan, Poland's head of government stressed that Warsaw is constantly pressing the German government to also provide its own Leopard main battle tanks. "They have more than 350 Leopard tanks in service and about two hundred in stock. That's why they can really help Ukraine today, fighting Ukraine, because there this fight also means fight for security, for peace in Europe," Morawiecki said./dhe/DP/jha