Russia's war on Ukraine latest: Germany signals shift on Leopard tank veto

Germany would not stand in the way if Poland wants to send its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, Germany's foreign minister said, signalling a possible breakthrough for Ukraine as it tries to bolster its forces ahead of an expected new Russian offensive.

Germany would not stand in the way if Poland wants to send its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, Germany's foreign minister said, signalling a possible breakthrough for Ukraine as it tries to bolster its forces ahead of an expected new Russian offensive. WEAPONS AND DIPLOMACY

* American lawmakers pushed the U.S. government to export M1 Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine, saying that even sending a symbolic number would be enough to push European allies to do the same. * Britain still wants an international deal to provide Ukraine with the German-made tanks that Kyiv says it needs in its fight against Russia but whose transfer needs Germany's consent, British foreign minister James Cleverly said.

* French President Emmanuel Macron said he does not rule out the possibility of sending Leclerc tanks to Ukraine. * The Baltic states of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania made a joint call to Germany on Saturday to step up its leadership and send its main battle tanks to Ukraine, putting further pressure on Berlin to move faster on aiding Kyiv.

* Germany's new defence minister, Boris Pistorius, plans to visit Ukraine soon, he told a German newspaper. * A close ally of President Vladimir Putin said that deliveries of offensive weapons to Kyiv that threaten Russia's territories will lead to a global catastrophe and make arguments against using weapons of mass destruction untenable.

FIGHTING * Russia's defence ministry said for the second straight day on Sunday that its forces were improving their positions in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region.

* The top Russian-installed official in the occupied parts of the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine said he had visited the town of Soledar that Russia claimed to had captured earlier this month. * Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield reports. 

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)