End of a deadlock – German main battle tanks for Ukraine – News

  • After much hesitation, Germany delivers Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine. Other countries are also allowed to hand over such tanks to Kyiv.
  • The German Press Agency in Berlin learned this from coalition circles. “Spiegel” and ntv had previously reported about it.

Ukraine has been asking for Western-style main battle tanks to fight the Russian attackers for months. The first official request came just a week after the start of the war at the beginning of March last year. With the battle tanks, Ukraine hopes to get back on the offensive and recapture more territory. At the same time, an offensive by Russia is feared for the spring.

On Tuesday, Warsaw had previously submitted an official export application to the federal government for approval for the delivery of Leopard main battle tanks made in Germany to Ukraine – and in doing so had put Berlin under pressure to act.

Too hesitant behavior

The chairwoman of the German Defense Committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), summed up: “The decision was tough, it took far too long, but in the end it is inevitable. The fact that Germany is allowing partner countries to deliver its Leopard 2 tank and is also delivering it itself is relieving news for the battered and brave Ukrainian people.” The decision is an important step in pushing back Russia’s brutal attack on an innocent country, she told dpa in Berlin.

Warsaw has been putting pressure on for a long time


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Chancellor Scholz has been criticized for weeks on the issue of Leopard deliveries – he is accused of acting too hesitantly. There was also resentment in their own coalition. The government justified its actions, among other things, with the risk of escalation and the necessary international coordination.

Poland has been putting pressure on Germany for a long time in the discussion about the supply of main battle tanks. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Monday that if necessary, action would be taken without Berlin’s approval, which would have risked a diplomatic scandal in Poland.

The week before last, President Andrzej Duda announced that Ukraine would be given 14 Leopard main battle tanks. In total, according to the Ministry of Defense, Poland has 247 Leopard 2 tanks in three different versions (A4, A5 and PL).

Poland wants to form a European coalition to supply main battle tanks. Initially, only Great Britain had promised to supply Challenger 2 main battle tanks. Of the 14 European countries that have Leopard tanks, only Finland, aside from Poland, has so far publicly signaled a willingness to sell some examples.

Germany has been supplying arms to Ukraine since the beginning of the war. Since then, heavy artillery pieces and air defense systems, among other things, have been handed over. It has also already promised Marder-type armored personnel carriers, which are significantly less powerful than the Leopard 2.

Union faction leader Friedrich Merz from the opposition welcomed the decision, but at the same time accused Chancellor Olaf Scholz of hesitation. “So the image of a driven person who has hesitated too long remains.”

Hallelujah! Jesus Christ!

The former Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, applauds the planned delivery to his country – and immediately makes further demands for modern fighter jets. «Hallelujah! Jesus Christ!” he wrote on Twitter, “And now, dear allies, let’s build a strong fighter jet coalition for Ukraine, with F-16s and F-35s, Eurofighters and Tornados, Rafale and Gripen jets – and anything you can deliver to Ukraine.”

Legend:

Germany has been supplying arms to Ukraine since the beginning of the war. Now also 14 Leopard tanks.

Keystone/Archive/SASCHA STEINBACH

Bundestag Vice President Katrin Göring-Eckardt tweeted in English: “The leopard is freed!” She writes: “Now hopefully he can quickly help Ukraine in its fight against the Russian attack and for the freedom of Ukraine and Europe.” The chairman of the Europe Committee in the Bundestag, Anton Hofreiter (Greens), told the editorial network Germany (RND): “Of course it would have been better to make the decision faster, especially for Germany’s reputation in Europe. But better late than never.”

Moscow: “Such deliveries do not bode well”

As a production country, Germany plays a key role in the issue of Leopard delivery. If armaments are sold to other countries, end-use clauses are always built into the contracts. This stipulates that the federal government must agree to the transfer to third countries.

Reports: Movement also in the USA


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Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) had always emphasized that he only wanted to act together with the USA when providing qualitatively new weapon systems.

And indeed, reports came from the United States that US President Joe Biden is now considering the delivery of M1 Abrams tanks after all. The Wall Street Journal reported an announcement of the commitment of “a larger number” of M1 Abrams to counter Russia’s war of aggression could come later this week.

Biden promised Scholz in a phone call last week that he would have such a delivery checked, the paper reported, citing unnamed sources.

Already on Wednesday it should be announced that around 30 to 50 tanks are to be delivered to Ukraine, as the “New York Times” reports, citing an insider.

Neither the White House nor the Pentagon officially confirmed the reports on Tuesday.

Even before the decision was made, the Kremlin had warned that German-Russian relations would deteriorate further if the German government agreed to the delivery of Leopard main battle tanks. “Such deliveries do not bode well for the future of relations,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to the Russian news agency Interfax.

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