Refined restraint instead of unbridled joy: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has expressed reservations about reports about the release from Berlin for the delivery of Leopard main battle tanks to his country.
He was grateful, but at the same time urged quick decisions. “Our allies know the number of tanks we need,” said Zelenskyy in his daily video address on Tuesday evening. Final decisions must now be made. His country needs “more than five, ten or 15 tanks” “The need is greater.”
Ukraine tries every day to compensate for the lack of heavy battle tanks. “And I thank each and every one of you who support us in this.”
The discussions about the delivery of tanks must now lead to decisions, Zelenskyj demanded. “Decisions that really strengthen our defenses against the (Russian) 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,” said Zelenskyy. “We’re still working on that.”
Melnyk praises “true breakthrough”
On the other hand, the Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Melnyk was downright euphoric. Even if the German decision was delayed, it was “without a doubt a real breakthrough and a game changer for Ukraine on the battlefield,” he told dpa.
“It will go down in history.” The fact that Scholz apparently even helped convince the United States to deliver their M1 Abrams tanks is even “a tank double whammy,” said Melnyk. Now it is necessary for Germany to forge “a powerful tank alliance”.
FDP and Greens relieved There was also relief among Chancellor Scholz’s coalition partners, the FDP and the Greens, who had pushed for a decision in favor of the tank delivery.
The chair of the defense committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), told the dpa in Berlin: “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.”
Approval from (almost) all sides from the federal government
Bundestag Vice President Katrin Göring-Eckardt tweeted in English: “The leopard is free!” She wrote: “Now hopefully he can quickly help Ukraine in its fight against the Russian attack and for the freedom of Ukraine and Europe.”
“It’s the right decision,” tweeted Agnieszka Brugger, deputy leader of the Greens parliamentary group in the Bundestag. “The decision to deliver Leopard tanks is correct,” said FDP defense politician Marcus Faber to the Tagesspiegel: “Ukraine urgently needs the tanks to convince the invading troops to return home.” Now the training of the Ukrainian crews must begin quickly .
Union faction leader Friedrich Merz also welcomed the decision, but at the same time accused Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) of hesitation. “So the image of a driven person who has hesitated too long remains,” he told the dpa.
The AfD in the Bundestag, on the other hand, described the decision as “irresponsible and dangerous”. Faction leader Tino Chrupalla explained: “Germany is at risk of being drawn directly into the war as a result. Our armed forces will be further plundered by the delivery of tanks from Bundeswehr stocks.”
Left faction leader Dietmar Bartsch also criticized the decision. “The delivery of Leopard main battle tanks, which lifts another taboo, potentially takes us closer to World War III than towards peace in Europe,” he told dpa. (dpa, AFP Tsp)
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