Poland’s wpolityce.pl website claimed on Monday that such a view was being propagated by Germany in revenge for Warsaw’s pressure on Berlin to support Kyiv with modern tanks.
The Polish conservative media outlet noted that The New York Times said in a recent article that "some European officials think Warsaw should be offering more Leopards."
The New York Times also reported that "some policymakers are planning meetings with Polish officials this week to better understand the situation.”
According to wpolityce.pl, “it is worth noting that the article was written by the NYT’s correspondents in Berlin and Brussels, which suggests that the attempt to put pressure on Warsaw originates from … Germany.”
The Polish outlet cited a passage in the NYT article that reads: “Poland, which has difficult relations with Germany, was foremost in pressing Mr. Scholz and Berlin on the Leopards, and even threatened to send some to Ukraine without the necessary German permission.”
‘Poland has sent many upgraded Soviet-era T-72 tanks to Ukraine': NYT
The NYT reported: “Like Berlin, Warsaw has some 200 Leopard 2 tanks — but it says it will provide just 14. It sent the first of the tanks to Ukraine on the anniversary of the invasion, Feb. 24, although Poland has yet to finish training Ukrainian soldiers how to use them.”
The US newspaper further said: “Poland has sent many upgraded Soviet-era T-72 tanks to Ukraine. But some European officials think Warsaw should be offering more Leopards, and some policymakers are planning meetings with Polish officials this week to better understand the situation. Even when it comes to the tanks that are in large supply — namely, the older Leopard 1 models — there are complications.”
‘Lies have short legs’
Commenting on the NYT article on the gazetaprawna.pl website, Polish journalist Michał Potocki quoted a German proverb, Lügen haben kurze Beine, which means “lies have short legs,” in the sense that they are soon exposed, wpolityce.pl reported.
Potocki said the NYT "wrote about Poland sending many upgraded Soviet-era T-72 tanks to Ukraine,” but "did not specify that the actual number was at least 260,” while “Germany hasn’t sent any yet and intends to send 18.”
Moreover, according to Potocki, the NYT article "omitted to mention" that Poland was the first to publicly raise the issue of Leopard tanks for Ukraine, “helping overcome the resistance of the Olaf Scholz government,” wpolityce.pl said.
'Berlin is taking revenge through the words of its senior politicians'
Potocki wrote: “Now Berlin is taking revenge through the words of its senior politicians, accusing Poland of delaying the transfer of tanks and alleging that the vehicles are in bad technical shape, and so first need to be repaired.”
He argued that Germany had not yet supplied Ukraine with the Marder infantry fighting vehicles, despite making a pledge to this effect in April 2022, wpolityce.pl reported.
Germany has no 'moral right' to 'criticise others'
Potocki also cast doubt on Germany’s official statistics about support for Ukraine.
According to various sources, including Poland’s Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW), these official figures include the German government’s financing of the monitoring of media outlets in Romania, as well as support for Russian NGOs and German institutions such as the Goethe Institute, wpolityce.pl said.
Potocki also noted the reaction of Germany’s ambassador to Poland, Thomas Bagger, when Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak said recently that Germany’s "pro-Russian stance," including the construction of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, helped Vladimir Putin "amass funds to build up his army and invade Ukraine."
Bagger said in a tweet at the time: “Does Minister Błaszczak know how many billions of zlotys Poland was transferring to Moscow each year in exchange for Russian energy?”
Potocki commented: “It would be difficult to find a country with less moral right" than Germany "to criticise others for energy cooperation with Russians.”
He accused Germany of helping the Kremlin "put a gas noose around the neck of Ukraine and Poland,” according to wpolityce.pl.
Monday is day 376 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: wpolityce.pl, The New York Times, gazetaprawna.pl