The German government confirmed on Wednesday that it will send Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, a departure from its previous position that could result in a qualitative battlefield advantage for Kiev’s military. According to his spokesman, Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced his decision to bolster the fighting power of the Ukrainian armed forces with these tanks to members of his cabinet during the weekly cabinet meeting. The confirmation comes after weekly magazine Der Spiegel and later other German media outlets confirmed on Tuesday that Scholz had changed his mind after weeks of international pressure on Germany to allow the shipment of German-made Leopard tanks.
The chancellor will appear in parliament this Wednesday to explain the reasons. Scholz assured that Germany “has always been at the forefront of supporting Ukraine” and has always made decisions “in close cooperation with international allies”, as it has now done with Leopard 2. The chancellor acknowledged that this could be the case for German citizens. afraid of this change, but asked them to “trust” him. “We must prevent the war in Ukraine from becoming a war between Russia and NATO,” he said, assuring that his government will always respect this principle.
“No one can know exactly what the right and wrong decisions are, so we pay attention little by little. We will continue to do that in the future. It is the only principle that guarantees the security of Europe and Germany in such a dangerous matter,” Scholz added in his address to MPs. The chancellor assured that his warning in recent weeks was “entirely deliberate” and acknowledged that Germany was not giving in to pressure until it had weighed the pros and cons of the decision.
Berlin will provide “training, logistics, maintenance of ammunition and equipment,” Scholz said, and allow the Allies to send their own Leopard 2s. “This is the right way. We are talking about highly effective weapon systems and the right thing is that we never use them alone, but in close cooperation,” he stressed.
14 tanks now; two medium range battalions
The Federal Department of Defense controls which combat-capable units count towards shipping. The aim is to “quickly” assemble two battalions – depending on the army, a battalion consists of two to six companies – the Foreign Ministry specifies, but as a first step, Berlin will provide the Ukrainian armed forces with a company of 14 Leopard 2- tanks of model A6, one of the most advanced. These armored vehicles come from the stock of the Bundeswehr, the Bundeswehr. The spokesperson emphasizes that “other European partners will supply their Leopard 2 tanks”.
The shipment of the tanks was “the result of intense coordination with Germany’s closest European and international partners,” government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said. “This decision follows our well-known line of supporting Ukraine in the best possible way. We act in close international coordination,” the chancellor announced to her ministers. Scholz always stressed that he did not want to go it alone in this matter and would only supply tanks alongside other countries, especially the US.
Training of Ukrainian troops to use these powerful and maneuverable tanks will also begin “soon”. This is what German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius alluded to on Tuesday after his meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, when he said Germany was already funding the training of Ukrainian soldiers to learn how to use the Leopard. decision. so they can ship. In addition to training soldiers, the German aid package also includes logistics, ammunition and system maintenance.
Berlin also confirms that it will immediately grant approval to countries wishing to quickly supply Leopard 2 tanks from their own stockpile to Ukraine. Poland, the partner that put the most pressure on the Scholz board, formally submitted the application on Tuesday morning. Since the tanks are of German manufacture, express approval is required for re-export to third countries.
The change of heart in Berlin marks a reversal of the cautious and thoughtful attitude Scholz had previously held, despite pressure from some of his allies, particularly Poland. The German move is accompanied by the future deployment of US Abrams main battle tanks – also announced Tuesday – which Berlin is demanding as a condition of agreeing to send the Leopard 2.
Armies from 15 European countries have a total of 2,405 units of the German Leopard 2 tank in their arsenal in various models and configurations. According to data from the analysis center of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Germany has 521. Sending war tanks and training are not enough to guarantee operational capability. The coalition of allies must ensure sufficient logistical support and the necessary spare parts and, ideally, their compatibility.
Russia: “New level of confrontation”
The Russian embassy in Germany responded to Berlin’s announcement: “This extremely dangerous decision takes the conflict to a new level of confrontation and contradicts statements by German politicians that the Federal Republic does not want to get involved,” it said in a statement. The embassy claims that Germany and its allies are “not interested in a diplomatic solution” but are determined to “escalate” the conflict by “indefinitely supplying Kyiv with increasingly deadly weapons”.
Russia, through its representative in Berlin, accuses Germany of refusing to recognize “its historical responsibility” for the “heinous crimes of National Socialism” and of forgetting “the difficult road to reconciliation between Russians and Germans after the war”. The embassy speaks of sending German tanks to the “Eastern Front” and thereby killing “not only Russian soldiers, but also civilians”.
Ukrainian ambassador to Germany Oleksi Makeiev praised the formation of a “grand coalition of tanks”. “They will help us repulse the Russian offensive and liberate our Russian-occupied territories and peoples,” he said in remarks collected by Germany’s DPA bureau during a visit to Hamburg. “We need everything and we welcome any kind of help,” added Makeiev, who stressed that the Ukrainian army and army “have proven that they can handle different types of equipment”. “I suppose we will talk about other weapons systems,” he said, indicating that Ukraine will introduce new weapons requirements.
Germany’s decision paves the way for other countries such as Poland, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain and Norway to provide their own Leopard 2s until the numbers needed – 300 according to Ukrainian officials – are reached to match the numbers captured by the Russian army . Attack The big attack that NATO says is preparing Moscow for spring. Finland will join the group of states that will supply tanks, Defense Minister Mikko Savola assured. “International cooperation for the supply of Leopard to Ukraine is progressing and Finland will participate,” he said on Wednesday.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said he was pleased that Germany had made the decision – “it’s the right one, it’s a historic decision” – but there was no reason to cheer. “It’s never a pleasant decision to make,” he explained. Economy Minister Grüner Robert Habeck also referred to the leopard when he presented the economic outlook for 2023. “It’s the right decision, but these tanks are going to kill people,” he complained.
Source: La Neta Neta
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
