"No, this is not ruled out, of course," Habeck said on the ARD TV channel when asked about the possibility of providing Ukraine with Leopard-1 or Leopard-2 tanks.
"We are studying the situation, we are aligning our actions with other countries. We will observe how the discussion [on this issue in Germany] will develop further," the minister said. According to him, the dynamics of supplying weapons to Kyiv will be changing depending on the development of the course of hostilities in Ukraine.
On Thursday, following telephone conversations between US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the parties issued a joint statement stating that the United States administration intends to supply Ukraine with American infantry fighting vehicles Bradley, and German Marder. It implies about 40 infantry fighting vehicles from the German side.
Russia’s embassy in Berlin condemned the decision of the German authorities to send the infantry fighting vehicles and called it another step towards the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine. The diplomatic mission added that the German authorities took this step "in particular under serious pressure from Washington."
Meanwhile, a poll by the sociological institute INSA commissioned by the Bild am Sontag newspaper shows that 50% of respondents in Germany do not support the supply of battle tanks to Kyiv. Only 38% of the respondents spoke in favor of such a measure.
MNA/PR