For months, Germany has been groping its way forward in the delivery of heavy weapons. Ukraine is going too slowly, as are other allies.
The delivery of Western main battle tanks to Russia-attacked Ukraine is drawing near. Before a meeting in Ramstein on Thursday, allies put massive pressure on Germany to also contribute the Leopard 2.
According to media reports, Chancellor Olaf Scholz is said to be ready under certain conditions – but has not yet publicly committed himself. The Kremlin urgently warned against handing over heavy weapons to Kyiv.
300 tanks for a counter-offensive
Eleven months after the invasion ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukraine says it fears a new Russian offensive in the east. At the same time, the Ukrainian general staff estimates 300 tanks for a successful counter-offensive. Against this background, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, his foreign ministers and defense ministers called for quick deliveries from Germany and other allied states.
A coalition led by the USA is to discuss this on Friday in Ramstein in Rhineland-Palatinate. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expects a signal from there that there are “more heavier weapons and more modern weapons” for Ukraine.
Great Britain has already announced tank deliveries, Poland and Finland are ready to do so in the European network. Germany has a key role because the Leopard 2 tanks are produced here. The federal government must approve any transfer of these tanks.
Sticking point Abrams main battle tank
According to reports in the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” and the “Bild” newspaper, Chancellor Scholz promised both a release and his own delivery in a telephone call to US President Joe Biden – but only if the US in turn gave Ukraine Abrams main battle tanks . Scholz insists on lockstep between Europe and the USA so that Putin cannot split NATO.
The news portal “Politico” reported without an official source that the USA is considering the delivery of Stryker-type armored personnel carriers – but not Abrams main battle tanks. The reason is the extensive maintenance and training on the battle tank. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was in Berlin on Thursday and consulted with the new Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) – immediately after he took office. However, no decisions have been made yet.
Poland increases the pressure
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki hinted that his country could supply its own Leopard tanks without German approval – putting even more pressure on the federal government. According to the PAP agency, the head of government said: “Approval is secondary here. We will either reach an agreement quickly or we will do the right thing ourselves.”
Sweden promised Ukraine the Archer artillery system and dozens of infantry fighting vehicles. Britain, on the other hand, wants to send 600 more Brimstone-type missiles to Ukraine, according to Defense Secretary Ben Wallace. Wallace made the comments during a meeting with allies at Estonia’s Tapa military base. He did not initially provide any further information on the time of delivery.
The Kremlin warns
Russia has repeatedly accompanied Western arms deliveries to Ukraine with warnings and threats – this time as well. The delivery of heavy weapons to Kyiv is taking the conflict to “a qualitatively new level, which does not bode well from the point of view of global and pan-European security,” warned Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to the Interfax agency.
Just discussing the delivery of weapons “that allow strikes against Russian territory is potentially extremely dangerous,” said Peskov. He specified that he meant the Ukrainian regions of Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhia annexed by Russia.
Russia’s ex-president Dmitry Medvedev repeated nuclear threats. He wrote on Telegram: “None of these wretches comes to the head to draw the next elementary conclusion: the defeat of a nuclear power in a conventional war can trigger the start of a nuclear war. Nuclear powers do not lose major conflicts.” However, Peskov rejected speculation that Moscow would tighten its nuclear doctrine.
NATO military consider risks to be manageable
The supreme commander of the NATO forces in Europe considers the possible escalation risks from a delivery of Western main battle tanks to Ukraine to be manageable. “Can we manage the risk? Yes, absolutely. I think we can deal with risk in general,” said US General Christopher Cavoli in a press conference after a meeting of the NATO military committee in Brussels. In doing so, he made it clear that he sees no great danger of Russia reacting to the delivery of Western battle tanks to Ukraine with military strikes against NATO countries.
Asked about the importance of supplying Western tanks like the Leopoard 2 to Ukraine, committee chairman Rob Bauer said tanks are an important weapon system to fight the Russians and drive them out of occupied territory. “The Russians fight with tanks, so the Ukrainians also need tanks,” he explained. On the one hand, they would be needed to be able to keep up with the enemy, but on the other hand, to recapture territory occupied by Russia.
Coalition partners and the Union are pushing the Chancellor
Scholz is also under pressure domestically. The coalition partners FDP and Greens are pushing him to deliver battle tanks, as is the opposition CDU/CSU. The head of the Munich Security Conference, Christoph Heusgen, called the delivery of Leopard tanks to Kyiv overdue and a “moral obligation”.
The left, on the other hand, issued an urgent warning, as did the International Doctors for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW). Both fear an escalation. According to a survey commissioned by the dpa, the population in this country is also largely skeptical.
US government backs Germany in tank debate
In the debate about the delivery of battle tanks to Ukraine, the US government has demonstratively backed Germany. When asked why Germany was reluctant to approve main battle tanks, the National Security Council’s communications director, John Kirby, said on US television on Thursday evening (local time): “The Germans understand very well what is at stake in Ukraine. “
Germany is one of the “biggest donors” and has continuously expanded its support. “We’re grateful for what they’ve provided and we’re grateful they’re considering supplying main battle tanks — we’ll see what comes of that,” Kirby said. Germany makes sovereign decisions, adapted to the needs of the country.
Source: Stern
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