(new: reaction federal government)

WARSAW/MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) - Poland has asked the German government to approve the delivery of German-made Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine. "Germany has already received our request to approve the transfer of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine," Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. "I also appeal to the German side to join the coalition of countries supporting Ukraine with Leopard-2 tanks." Europe's security is at stake, he said.

The German government intends to examine the request "with due urgency," a government spokesman told Deutsche Presse-Agentur in Berlin in response to a query. He confirmed that the Polish export application had been received. Such applications would be "examined along the established procedures and arms export guidelines with due urgency," he added.

The Kremlin immediately warned of a further deterioration in German-Russian relations if the German government allows Leopard battle tanks to be delivered to Ukraine. "Such deliveries do not bode well for the future of relations," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday, according to Russia's Interfax news agency. He said they would leave inevitable traces. Yet relations are already at a certain low point, he added.

Poland has been putting pressure on its allies for some time in the discussion about the battle tank deliveries. As early as last week, President Andrzej Duda said that Warsaw had decided to provide Ukraine with 14 Leopard main battle tanks. Head of government Mateusz Morawiecki announced Monday that Warsaw would ask the German government for permission to do so. Berlin's approval is required to supply German-made tanks to other countries. Morawiecki had previously said that if necessary, action would be taken without Berlin's approval. According to the Ministry of Defense in Warsaw, the Polish armed forces have a total of 247 Leopard main battle tanks.

The application from Warsaw now puts the German government under pressure. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has been criticized for weeks for his reticence on the issue of battle tank deliveries to Ukraine, and displeasure has also been voiced within his own coalition. The government justifies its action, among other things, by weighing up the risks of escalation and the need for international coordination. Ukraine has been asking for battle tank deliveries for months in order to defend itself against the Russian attack.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had dodged the question at an EU meeting on Monday of whether the German government would really quickly approve a request to supply Ukraine with Leopard battle tanks from other countries. Earlier in the weekend, Baerbock had said of Poland's plans for Leopard 2 deliveries, "We have not been asked so far and (...) if we were asked, we would not stand in the way." It was unclear, however, whether she was speaking for the German government.

Russian leaders have repeatedly criticized Western arms deliveries to Ukraine as an escalation. Last week, however, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin's spokesman also said that even Western battle tanks could not prevent Russia from achieving its war aims. In his view, they would only prolong the suffering of the civilian population./dhe/DP/jha