NATO chief confident agreement on tanks for Ukraine will come soon as Poland submits ask

Poland has officially requested permission from Germany to transfer its Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine where they can help fight Russia’s invasion, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said Tuesday.

German officials confirmed to the dpa news agency they had received the application and said it would be assessed “with due urgency.” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Sunday that Berlin, which builds the tanks, wouldn’t seek to stop Poland from providing the high-tech armor to Kyiv.

The development came as Ukrainian authorities moved to crack down on alleged corruption, with almost a dozen senior officials departing Tuesday.

Blaszczak, the Polish defense minister, appealed to Germany “to join the coalition of countries supporting Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks” _ a reference to recent pressure on Berlin to send some of its own tanks. Germany has hesitated to take that step, despite Ukraine’s pleas. The tank is adaptable to many types of combat situations.

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“This is our common cause, because it is about the security of the whole of Europe!” Blaszczak tweeted.