According to “Spiegel”, the German government is planning to equip at least one company with the Leopard 2A6 version from Bundeswehr stocks. Equipping a company means handing over 14 of the Leopard tanks. Ukraine repeatedly spoke of around 300 main battle tanks that would be needed to drive Russia out of the occupied territories. Other NATO countries, especially Poland, will also deliver Leopard tanks now that Berlin wants to give the necessary approval. While Germany uses the more modern 2A6, other European countries mainly use the older 2A4 model. Overall, however, Kyiv should still be a long way from having 300 tanks.
In the US, the Wall Street Journal had previously reported that the US government could for its part give up reservations about the delivery of US tanks of the Abrams type. US President Joe Biden is now inclined to hand over a “significant number” of Abrams tanks to Ukraine, it said. However, the US government did not confirm the reports on Tuesday.
ORF analysis: battle tanks for Ukraine
After weeks of debates as to whether Germany wants to send main battle tanks to Ukraine or at least give other countries permission to supply their German-made tanks, a decision was made in Berlin on Tuesday evening, as ORF correspondent Andreas Pfeifer reports.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who is expected to announce his decision – possibly in parallel with the USA – on Wednesday, has always emphasized that he only wants to act jointly with the USA when it comes to providing qualitatively new weapon systems. It was the same with the provision of multiple rocket launchers or armored personnel carriers.
According to “Spiegel”, the German tanks should initially come from Bundeswehr stocks. In the medium and long term, more battle tanks from industrial stocks could be added, but these would first have to be prepared and could only be delivered in months. In addition, Ukrainian tank units must first be trained on the Leopard.
Kyiv has been asking for battle tanks for months
Ukraine has been asking for Western-style main battle tanks to fight the Russian attackers for months. The first official request came just a week after the start of the war at the beginning of March last year. The front line in eastern Ukraine has hardly moved in weeks. With the battle tanks, Ukraine hopes to get back on the offensive and recapture more territory. At the same time, an offensive by Russia is feared for the spring.
On Tuesday, Warsaw had previously submitted an official export application to the German government for approval for the delivery of Leopard main battle tanks made in Germany to Ukraine – and in doing so put Berlin under pressure.
Berlin key role
As a production country, Germany plays a key role in the issue of Leopard delivery. If armaments are sold to other countries, end-use clauses are always built into the contracts. This stipulates that the federal government must agree to the transfer to third countries. A government spokesman said on Tuesday that he wanted to examine the Polish government’s application “with the necessary urgency”.
Scholz has been criticized for weeks on the issue of Leopard deliveries – he is accused of being too hesitant. There was also resentment in their own coalition. The government justified its actions, among other things, with the risk of escalation and the necessary international coordination.
High pressure from Poland
Poland has been putting pressure on Germany for a long time in the discussion about the supply of main battle tanks. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Monday that if necessary, action would be taken without Berlin’s approval, which would have risked a diplomatic scandal in Poland.
Poland wants to form a European coalition to supply main battle tanks. Initially, only Great Britain had promised to supply Challenger 2 main battle tanks. Of the 14 European countries that have Leopard tanks, only Finland, aside from Poland, has so far publicly signaled a willingness to sell some examples.
Germany has been supplying arms to Ukraine since the beginning of the war. Since then, heavy artillery pieces and air defense systems, among other things, have been handed over. She has already promised Marder armored personnel carriers, which are significantly less powerful than the Leopard 2.
Greens and FDP welcome decision
German Chancellor Scholz’s coalition partners welcomed the decision on Tuesday. “The decision was tough, it took far too long, but in the end it’s 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,” said Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), Chairwoman of the Defense Committee.
The green chairman of the Europe Committee in the Bundestag, Anton Hofreiter, told the editorial network Germany (RND): “Of course it would have been better to make the decision faster, especially for Germany’s reputation in Europe. But better late than never.” The parliamentary group leader of the opposition Union, Friedrich Merz, also welcomed the decision, but at the same time accused Scholz (SPD) of hesitation. “So the image of a driven person who hesitated too long remains.” AfD and Linke criticized the decision sharply.
Wehrschütz (ORF) on corruption and battle tanks
ORF correspondent Christian Wehrschütz reports from Odessa in southern Ukraine. He explains how important these battle tanks really are to Ukraine.
Kremlin warns
Pistorius had also promised that Germany would make a quick decision on the delivery of the Leopard main battle tanks. He had “expressly encouraged” other partner countries that already had battle tanks of this model to start training Ukrainian soldiers, Pistorius said after the conversation with Stoltenberg. The Kremlin had meanwhile warned of a further deterioration in German-Russian relations should the German government have Leopard main battle tanks delivered to Ukraine.
Melnyk: “Now please F-16 and Eurofighter”
The Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister and former Ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, welcomed the delivery of the tanks – and immediately made further demands for modern fighter jets. He tweeted: “And now, dear allies, let’s build a strong fighter jet coalition for Ukraine, with F-16s and F-35s, Eurofighters and Tornadoes, Rafale and Gripen jets – and everything you think of.” Ukraine can deliver.”
