The German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit announced on Wednesday morning in a broadcast that the 14 tanks would be delivered “in a first step” from Bundeswehr stocks. The aim is to quickly assemble two tank battalions with Leopard 2 tanks. For their part, European partners would provide tanks for this purpose. Berlin will issue the appropriate permits for this.
A German main battle tank battalion typically includes 44 Leopard 2 tanks. The delivery to the Ukraine is therefore about 90 tanks. In the early afternoon, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz explained his decision in a government statement to the Bundestag.
According to Scholz, he spoke on the phone to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday. It is right that Ukraine is being helped financially and also with weapons. This was decided in close consultation with international partners. “Germany will always be ahead when it comes to supporting Ukraine,” said Scholz. In doing so, they act on the principle of making what is necessary possible while avoiding an escalation into a conflict between NATO and Russia. “We will continue to observe this principle.”
tank diplomacy
Scholz was under a lot of pressure because he had delayed a decision. He had also emphasized that he only wanted to supply tanks in agreement with the USA. Washington initially rejected this link, the US Department of Defense had referred to a high maintenance requirement and the special drive, which is why it made no sense to send US-type Abrams tanks.
An intense debate has apparently ensued since a summit at the US base in Ramstein, Germany last week, and now the US is ready to provide about 30 Abrams tanks, according to insiders. A corresponding announcement by US President Joe Biden was expected soon, if not on Wednesday.
Beware of further escalation
Named after US General Creighton Abrams, the US tank was developed in the 1970s and entered service in 1980. Like the Leopard 2, it goes back to a failed German-American project to develop a joint main battle tank in the 1960s. The latest version of the Abrams, produced by the armaments company General Dynamics, is considered to be one of the most modern tanks in the world.
Germany and the United States have so far been reluctant to provide heavy tanks, fearing that support could give the Kremlin cause to escalate the conflict. Scholz had emphasized that a conflict between Russia and NATO must be avoided.
Germany supplies tanks
Andreas Pfeifer (ORF) analyzes Germany’s motives for organizing tank deliveries.
Ukraine wants more
Even before there was official confirmation from Berlin, the Ukrainian government welcomed the plans as a possible turning point in the war. But President Volodymyr Zelenskyj saw the need as much higher. “It’s not about five or ten or 15 tanks. The need is greater.”
The Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Andriy Melnyk, immediately demanded that Germany deliver Tornado and Eurofighter fighter jets, warships and submarines – a demand that, according to Scholz, Germany will not meet. Like US President Joe Biden, he made that clear months ago in the debate about a no-fly zone. It stays that way, said Scholz in the Bundestag.
On Tuesday, Poland applied in Berlin for an export license for 14 examples of the German tank type. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki thanked Scholz on Wednesday for the planned support. “The decision to supply Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine is a big step in stopping Russia. Together we are stronger,” Morawiecki wrote on Twitter.
Several states now want to deliver
There are other countries in Europe that have Leopard tanks. Some had made their own decision dependent on how Germany would decide. Shortly after Berlin’s announcement, the Netherlands also declared their willingness to hand over battle tanks to Ukraine. Prime Minister Mark Rutte said his country could buy the tanks previously leased from Germany and then make them available to Ukraine. The Norwegian government is considering sending some Leopard 2 tanks, Aftenposten and Dagens Naeringsliv newspapers reported.
Spain is also ready to deliver Leopard main battle tanks, Defense Minister Margarita Robles told journalists in Madrid on Wednesday. You can also help with the training of Ukrainians and with maintenance. Robles did not name a number of tanks that Madrid could deliver. Similarly Finland: They wanted to deliver, but there was no number for the time being.
A week and a half ago, Great Britain announced that it would deliver 14 Challenger 2 main battle tanks to the Ukrainian army. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also welcomed Germany’s decision.
Russia angry
Moscow was angry. US tanks in Ukraine are “another blatant provocation,” Russian ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov told Telegram. “If the United States decides to supply tanks, then you definitely can’t justify such a move with the ‘defensive weapons’ argument.”
The Russian ambassador in Berlin, Sergey Nechayev, also criticized the decision as “extremely dangerous”. That would “take the conflict to a new level of confrontation,” Nechayev said. The West finds itself in a logic of “permanent escalation”.
At a press briefing, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the potential Abrams deliveries were a waste of money. “I am sure that many experts understand the absurdity of this idea. The plan is technically disastrous,” said Peskow. “But above all, the potential that the tanks represent for the Ukrainian army is overestimated. These tanks burn just like any other.”
Could take months or years
The front, which stretches more than 1,000 kilometers through eastern and southern Ukraine, has been largely frozen for two months with heavy casualties on both sides. However, it is suspected that both Russia and Ukraine are planning new offensives. Zelenskyi said in his speech that Russia is stepping up its push on Bakhmut, an industrial city in eastern Ukraine.
However, it is doubted that the main battle tanks from the West will arrive in time. According to The Washington Post, it may be months, if not years, before Abrams tanks see action in the war. The vehicles are unlikely to arrive in Ukraine in the spring, when Russia’s offensive is expected, the newspaper said.
According to German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, the first German tanks should be available in about three months. Pistorius said on Wednesday that the Bundeswehr would start training Ukrainian soldiers on the tank “very quickly” and clarify the supply routes. The training could start “perhaps this month”, but no later than the beginning of February, according to the Berlin Ministry of Defense.
