Germany

may decide to send Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine next week.

Most likely, it will be in favor of Ukraine. 

The Guardian and Bloomberg write about it.

According to the media, Germany came close to a decision to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine amid reports of a possible escalation of hostilities in the spring.

With increasing calls for Berlin to provide heavy tanks,

According to an anonymous German official familiar with the plans, Berlin will make a decision before a meeting of senior allied defense officials at the US airbase in Ramstein on January 20.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his German counterpart Christine Lambrecht will also meet in Berlin the day before.

As The Guardian writes, Britain's decision to provide Ukraine can contribute to the fact that Germany will finally be allowed to provide its Leopards

 about 10 Challenger 2 tanks. 

An official announcement is expected on Monday, but according to the British media with reference to Ukrainian sources, there is an understanding that Great Britain has already made a decision "for".

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has to make the final decision.

Providing the Challenger tanks would mark the first time any Western country has agreed to send its own heavy armor to Ukraine. 

Kyiv hopes that this will pave the way for Germany.

Europe has more than 2,000 Leopards in service with armies in 13 countries, but sales contracts require Berlin's approval before any German-made kit can be delivered to Ukraine.

What is known about providing Ukraine 

Leopard 

It will be recalled that Polish President Andrzej Duda announced during his visit to Lviv that a

will be transferred to Ukraine as part of the creation of a coalition. 

But he added that he wanted the move to be part of a wider set of announcements, adding: "We want it to be an international coalition."

On Thursday, the German politician, the head of the German Defense Ministry, Christine Lambrecht, said that the decision to provide Leopards had not been made. 

However, other senior ministers said the same day that Germany should at least allow countries such as Poland to provide some of its stockpiles.

The representative of the German federal government, Christiane Hoffmann 

Robert Habeck, Germany's vice chancellor and economics minister responsible for arms control, said: "There is a difference between making a decision for yourself and preventing others from making a decision." 

The high-ranking politician added: "Germany should not stand in the way when other countries decide to support Ukraine, regardless of what decision Germany takes."

Citing its own sources, Politico reported that the 

depends on US President Joe Biden.

Also, the meeting in Ramstein may change the position of Germany regarding the supply of modern tanks to Ukraine.

Speaking before the Lithuanian parliament on Friday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that

in particular regarding the supply of tanks. 

According to him, these are "new defense solutions" that "will enable Ukrainian soldiers to knock out the Russian army from our land. 

And this, first of all, concerns modern tanks and effective artillery."

It is still unclear whether Germany will allow other countries to send Leopard tanks, or whether it will send such tanks itself.

In addition to the Leopard 2 tanks, Germany still has about 180 versions of the older Leopard 1. German officials say the Leopard 1, which was built in the 1960s, could still compete with the Russian main battle tank.

Read also:

• Ukraine news

• War in Ukraine

• News of Ukraine: video