Tensions between Poland and Germany
"Unfortunately, nothing has been implemented"
The reluctance to supply weapons to Ukraine is putting a strain on German-Polish relations. The reason is the stalled talks on a tank ring swap. Warsaw is already openly accusing Berlin of breaking its word.
When it comes to arming the Ukrainian army, Germany likes to praise the so-called ring swap procedure. This was the case last Thursday, for example. Christine Lambrecht was almost a little proud when she spoke out. The SPD defense minister, who is currently in dire straits, was pleased to hear that the tank swap with the Czech Republic was "a very good example of how we can quickly and easily help Ukraine against Russian aggression.
Lambrecht described the arms deal itself in impressively brief terms: "The Czech Republic supplies heavy weapons, and we help fill the gaps with heavy weapons from German industrial stocks," she explained. As a result of the maneuver, now known almost worldwide under the German term Ringtausch, the Czech Republic can now hand over its own Russian-made tanks to Ukraine, in return for which the NATO partner receives Leopard weapon systems from Germany free of charge.
In the case of the Czech Republic, the painstakingly devised idea has worked out. For political reasons, the German government is still hesitant to supply heavy battle tanks to Ukraine. Chancellor Scholz repeatedly emphasizes that the U.S. and France have not delivered any battle tanks to date. However, thanks to the ring swap with NATO's eastern partners, at least old Russian tanks that can be operated by the Ukrainians are now being delivered to the front.
But the much-vaunted procedure does not work in every case. According to SPIEGEL information, the ring exchange talks between Germany and Poland, of all countries, Germany's direct neighbor, are hopelessly deadlocked. Defense Minister Lambrecht was therefore forced to concede last Monday in a confidential meeting of coalition politicians that she has little hope of reaching an agreement with Warsaw.
Poland, which as a neighbor of Ukraine is directly affected by the crisis, had behaved in an exemplary manner. Shortly after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Warsaw handed over almost all of its 240 Russian-made tanks to the neighboring country because the Ukrainian army is trained on these models. At that time, according to Polish government circles, they had relied on the German promise to replenish the resulting gaps with modern tanks.
But what sounds simple in theory became more than complicated in reality. Unlike the Czech Republic, Poland does not want to settle for older German tanks as tank replacements. Consequently, in the talks with Germany it was demanded that the Polish tank stocks, which had now been emptied by the handover to Ukraine, would have to be replenished by German Leopard tanks of the latest type; anything else would jeopardize Poland's ability to defend itself.
The Bundeswehr leaves itself bare
For the Germans, it quickly became clear that they could not get involved in such a deal. For example, the Bundeswehr itself does not yet have Leopard models of the latest construction status; only a small part of the German tank army is currently being upgraded to it by the industry. As a result, the responsible state secretary from the defense ministry was unable to make any promises in talks with Poland and had to end the negotiations without success.
What started as a symbol of cooperation is now turning into an ugly dispute. "There were promises on the part of the Germans to strengthen our defense capabilities, but unfortunately none of them has been implemented," Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk sneers in an interview with SPIEGEL . For a foreign minister, Szynkowski vel Sęk talks rather undiplomatically about Berlin. Thus, Warsaw feels deceived. "Germany has promised to replenish our stocks, but has done nothing," the deputy foreign minister said verbatim.
For the German government, the spat with Warsaw is annoying. Poland is considered an essential partner within NATO when it comes to Ukraine. After all, its immediate neighbor has taken in most of the refugees from the war zone. Even more important, however, is the hub function of this NATO partner, since virtually all Western arms deliveries, as well as the transports of urgently needed humanitarian aid, are channeled through Poland.
From the German point of view, the problem can hardly be solved. According to the defense ministry, it is simply not possible to deliver Leopard tanks quickly at the latest state of construction. Attempts to persuade the Polish partners to reach a compromise have failed. For example, Poland was offered the option of initially receiving slightly older Leopard models, which would then be successively modernized or replaced by new systems in the coming years.
It remains to be seen whether the explanations will be successful. For criticism is already coming from within his own coalition as well. "We passed a motion for arms deliveries with a large majority in the Bundestag, and this must now be implemented," warns Green Party European politician Tony Hofreiter, for example. "It is crucial that the ring swap with Poland is now implemented, because Warsaw has already done a great deal to support Ukraine," he demands.
https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/ukraine-streit-um-waffenlieferungen-belastet-verhaeltnis-zwischen-polen-und-deutschland-a-693c5be5-ef24-4bbe-a709-cbd8b045fb94
