Tensions rise between Berlin and Warsaw over aid to Ukraine

Disputes between Warsaw and Berlin over arms supplies to Ukraine have reached a new level and tensions between the countries are escalating, Bloomberg said.

Even as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urges Western allies to hasten arms deliveries before the start of the spring offensive, the disputes over missiles, tanks and spare parts have not stopped," the publication said.

For example, Polish leaders criticised the Germans over the delay in sending tanks to the front and even threatened to hand over their German-made armoured vehicles without Berlin's approval. When German Chancellor Olaf Scholz gave the green light to send Leopard tanks, the Poles tried to send older Leopard models to Ukraine, while accusing Germany of not sending spare parts.

The main responsibility lies with the Federal Republic of Germany, the main producer of these tanks. We have been urging the German side for so long to join the tank coalition and deliver not only tanks but also spare parts," Polish President Andrzej Duda said.

The countries have also rebuked each other for getting hooked on the Kremlin's "energy needle".

For example, the German ambassador responded sharply on Twitter to comments by Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak that Germany's energy policy sends billions to Moscow.

Does the minister know how many billions of zlotys Poland has been transferring to Moscow every year in exchange for Russian energy," Ambassador Thomas Begger asked in a post.

Scholz's government, meanwhile, is convinced that tensions will subside once the country's elections are over.

Unofficially, but in Warsaw they believe that Germany is more focused on competing with Poland for international recognition of its aid to Ukraine than on actually giving Kiev what it needs, the report says.

Despite problems with tanks and weapons, officials in Berlin argue that other bilateral areas are working more smoothly. For example, one senior official noted strong cooperation regarding the Patriot missile defence system, which Germany donated to Poland to support air defence.