Berlin: Leopard tank decision not linked to U.S. plans for Abrams

The German government said on Friday that the delivery of German-made Leopard 2 tanks was not dependent on the delivery of M1 Abrams tanks from the United States.

"At no time (...) has there been a link or a demand that one has to take place so that the other can take place," government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said in Berlin on Friday.

Previous German media reports had suggested that Chancellor Olaf Scholz would only deliver the Leopard tanks if Washington was going to send an equivalent vehicle, namely the Abrams.

"I find it difficult to imagine a German chancellor dictating any conditions or making any demands to an American president," Hebestreit said.

However, he reiterated that coordinated action with the United States was important to the German government.

Poland and Finland have previously announced their intention to supply Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine as part of a European alliance, but Germany has remained tight-lipped on this idea.

Hebestreit said that the government had not received any official requests from Poland.

On the question of how the German government would react if Poland were to deliver the tanks without an export licence from Germany, the government spokesman said: "All our partners certainly want to be law-abiding."