According to Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD), the decision on the delivery of Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine is still open.
“The decision-making process is ongoing and we will have to wait and see it now,” said Pistorius on Sunday evening on the ARD program “Anne Will”. The decision therefore “depends on many factors” and is “made in the Chancellery”.
Everyone understands the distress Ukraine is currently in, said Pistorius. That’s why “there will soon be a decision, whatever it looks like”.
“It is quite clear that tanks are needed, that offensive movements are needed towards Donbass and Luhansk,” the minister said. “You’ll have to see how that turns out. There are also other states that can make their contributions.”
Coordination with the USA still important
For Germany, on the one hand, it is about coordinating with the partner countries, said Pistorius. This is “above all” the coordination with the USA.
At the same time, it is a “heavy armored weapon that can also be used for offensive purposes”. That is why the federal government must “weigh things up very carefully” and cannot “take hasty and frivolous” decisions.
Pistorius pointed out that there was “by no means a uniform opinion” among the German population on the issue of tank deliveries.
Referring to Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s criticism that Germany’s hesitancy was “unacceptable,” Pistorius said, “Blame points don’t help anyone.”
Germany is “at the top of those countries in the world that support Ukraine”. The federal government has now provided a total of systems and equipment worth 3.3 billion euros. Germany “doesn’t have to hide” here. (AFP)
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