ISTANBUL, 1 February – RIA Novosti. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that sending tanks to Ukraine did not contribute to the resolution of the Ukrainian conflict.

In an interview with TRT, Erdogan said, “I can’t say that sending tanks is one of the elements of conflict resolution. This is a risky business, it’s good for gun barons.”

Earlier, the German government announced that, after pressure from NATO allies, it would hand over the Leopard 2 to Ukraine and allow the supply of German tanks to other countries that have them. In the first phase, Germany plans to supply 14 Leopard 2 type A6 companies from Bundeswehr stocks. The United States also announced that a battalion complex of modern Abrams tanks of its own production – 31 units – was sent to Ukraine. At the same time, the White House said it would take “months” to deliver Abrams. Earlier, the Polish leadership announced its readiness to transfer up to 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine as part of an international coalition. Prior to that, the country had transferred about 250 T-72 tanks to Ukraine.

The Russian Federation had previously sent notes to all countries, including the USA, due to the supply of weapons to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine would become a legitimate target for Russia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation stated that NATO countries are “playing with fire” by supplying weapons to Ukraine. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov noted that pumping weapons into Ukraine from the West does not contribute to the success of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations and will have a negative effect.