WARSAW (dpa-AFX) - Poland has stepped up pressure in the debate over supplying Western-made battle tanks to Ukraine as well. Warsaw is encouraging other countries to form a broad coalition to hand over more modern tanks, such as the Leopard tank, Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski told Polish public radio on Monday.

Poland could be part of such a coalition, Jakub Kumoch, security adviser to President Andrzej Duda, told Radio Zet. "The matter is in flux. The first thing is to find out what our allies in Western countries will do." On its own, however, the NATO country will not do anything in this direction, he said, because it is not in a position to do so at all.

Kumoch described reports that Poland was ready to hand over a few hundred or even all of its Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine as "disinformation." At most, he said, the debate was about "a few or a dozen pieces." In the afternoon, he said, the National Security Council will discuss the issue with President Duda among others.

After the decision of the German government to deliver about 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine, the possible delivery of battle tanks continues to be debated in Germany as well./dhe/DP/jha