Kuleba: If German govt cannot decide to grant Leopard, it could give green light to countries that have German tanks.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that if the German government cannot independently make an important decision on the supply of Leopard tanks, it could give the green light to countries that are ready to provide these tanks to Ukraine.

“We rely on Germany because Germany is one of the few countries that can really provide supplies. And after all the discussions about the supply of German weapons, the main battle tanks were left for the last time. There is movement and progress on all other issues. And we understand that if you, as a government, cannot make this last important decision yourself, then at least give the green light to the countries that have your tanks and are ready to provide us with these tanks. But for this they need your permission,” Kuleba said in an interview with the German ADR TV channel.

Speaking about the course of the government of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, not to act alone on this issue, Kuleba stressed that every day spent on decision-making processes in Berlin or other capitals also means that someone is dying at the front due to lack of weapons.

“This means that the Russian Wagner mercenaries will continue the offensive and will be able to capture our trenches. This means that another village or city in Ukraine will be under Russian occupation for another day ... it is also a day of fear, suffering, pain, and sometimes death for Ukrainian civilians and soldiers. I think everyone should understand this. Not only in Berlin, but in all capitals of the world,” the minister said.

At the same time, Kuleba stressed that Germany supplied Ukraine with a lot of necessary weapons, which only strengthened Germany's reputation at the international level and helped the Ukrainian forces to push back the enemy.

“So I don't see any negative consequences for Germany if the government decides to deliver the main battle tanks to Ukraine. And if there are no negative consequences, then why not do it?”he added.

Minister Kuleba also noted that the longer the war lasts, the higher the costs - both for Ukraine and for Germany.

“Therefore, everyone should be interested in a quick victory for Ukraine. Secondly, the argument is not new to us. When we first asked about any weapons, we were told: we cannot do this because it will lead to escalation. Then we got weapons and asked for self-propelled howitzers. And again there was a dispute about escalation. And nothing happened. Russia is escalating regardless of the type of weapons and the number of weapons delivered to Ukraine,” the Foreign Minister assured.

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