Leopards for Ukraine
Melnyk celebrates, Selenskyj not yet
01/25/2023 03:49 am
Kiev’s call for battle tanks is answered, Germany will deliver the longed-for Leopards and allow other countries to do the same. The former Ukrainian ambassador in Berlin, Melnyk, speaks of a “game changer” in the fight against the Russian invaders. President Zelenskyj’s reaction is more restrained.
The first official reaction in Kyiv to the news of the German decision to supply Leopard main battle tanks was joyful relief. “We will have everything, everything for the recapture of our territories and for the counteroffensive. Tankers will be happy, as will artillerymen and later also pilots,” wrote the chancellery chief of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Andriy Yermak, on Telegram.
President Selenskyj himself sounded a little less euphoric. In his evening video speech, he emphasized that final decisions are now important. “Many efforts, words, promises,” he said of the plans, which have not yet been officially communicated. “It’s not about five or ten or fifteen tanks. The need is greater.” ntv had learned from government circles that a company of Leopard 2 tanks was to be handed over to the Ukrainian army. A company in the Bundeswehr consists of 14 tanks.
According to Zelensky, Ukraine is making daily efforts to compensate for the lack of heavy battle tanks. “And I thank each and every one of you who support us in this.” The President demanded that the discussions about the delivery of tanks should now lead to decisions. “Decisions that really strengthen our defenses against the terrorists.” Ukraine’s allies had the required number of tanks. “If we have the necessary weight in decisions, we will be happy to thank you for every single important decision,” emphasized Zelenskyy. “We’re still working on that.”
Melnyk speaks of “tank double booms”
On the other hand, praise came from the former Ukrainian ambassador in Berlin, Andriy Melnyk. He acknowledged the German decision to supply Leopard main battle tanks as historic. Even if it was delayed, it was “without a doubt a real breakthrough and a game changer for Ukraine on the battlefield,” said the Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister to the German Press Agency. “This will go down in history.” The fact that Scholz apparently even helped convince the USA to deliver their M1 Abrams tanks is even “a double tank boom,” says Melnyk.
According to information from coalition circles, the federal government wants to deliver Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and also allow allies to do so. The Chancellery has not yet commented on this. “Although there is still no official confirmation from the federal government, I have no doubt that this good news is true because no other decision was possible,” said Melnyk.
According to an unconfirmed report by the Wall Street Journal, the United States is also considering supplying its Abrams battle tanks. Now it is necessary for Germany to forge “a powerful tank alliance,” said Melnyk. “It’s a race against time,” stressed the former ambassador. “Germany should throw away all the brakes and take a leading role in this Leo coalition, so that our soldiers can be trained over the next few weeks and the hundreds of main battle tanks handed over to the Ukrainian armed forces by early spring.”