German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius says Chancellor Olaf Scholz will likely decide soon on whether the country will allow German-made tanks to be sent to Ukraine. A minister of Poland says the country has called for German permission to send the tanks it possesses.

Pistorius was speaking at a joint news conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg after their meeting in Berlin on Tuesday.

The German minister said his country has yet to decide on the Leopard 2 tanks. He said he expects Scholz to do so soon, and that if the decision is positive, the government will act quickly.

Stoltenberg said they spoke about the issue, and that he showed expectation for Germany's decision.

Poland's defense minister said on Twitter that Germany received the country's request for consent on transferring the tanks.

Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov spoke about the issue on Tuesday.

Russia's state-run Tass news agency reported that Peskov said ties between Russia and Germany are "already at a rather low point." It also quoted him as saying, "We do not observe any substantial dialogue with Germany or other EU, NATO countries." Peskov also reportedly said tank shipments would undoubtedly leave an "unavoidable mark" on their relations.