Berlin.
The pressure on the new minister is increasing over the supply of arms to Ukraine. Will the Ramstein summit bring a breakthrough?
The cameras click, their flashes illuminate Boris Pistorius and Lloyd Austin. “Good?” Austin asks the photographers determinedly, then the two leave Secretary of Defense the room. The statement by the recently sworn in German incumbent and his guest from the USA lasted only a few minutes. Questions are not allowed. However, one thing has become clear: there is a lot to talk about. For example, whether the two countries want to equip Ukraine with their most modern battle tanks, the “Leopard”.
Also read: Why Ukraine desperately wants the Leopard 2 main battle tank
Boris Pistorius has less time to arrive than any other minister, and at the same time he sits in one of the most difficult posts at this time, in this cabinet. Its cold start falls in the middle of a major political battle over the delivery of heavy military equipment to Ukraine, above all German tanks. In the middle of a dispute over how reliable Germany is in supporting Ukraine at this stage of the war. It’s also about the credibility of his boss: Olaf Scholz.
“A cool head, good nerves, strong leadership and clear language”
Pistorius has a full first day: In the morning, the former Minister of the Interior of Lower Saxony Pistorius receives his certificate of appointment from Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Bellevue Palace. For his new office, the head of state wishes the defense minister “a cool head, good nerves, strong leadership” and “clear language”.
Pistorius does without God’s help for the big task – at least during the subsequent swearing-in ceremony in the Bundestag. When Parliament President Bärbel Bas takes the oath of office from her party friend, the 62-year-old omits the religious addition: “So help me God.”
Instead, Pistorius picks up the phone shortly after the performance. He calls his French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu. They will meet in person for the first time at the Franco-German Council of Ministers on Sunday in Paris. Pistorius is also on the phone with the powerful head of the Bundeswehr Association. Before taking office, he met Eva Högl, the military commissioner, and Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, the influential chair of the defense committee.
Germany wants to supply armored personnel carriers and Patriot anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine
You can’t accuse Pistorius of first arriving comfortably in office. And yet: one delivery decision of German battle tanks to Ukraine did not fall even in the first hours of his tenure. The gaze goes in the direction of Chancellor Scholz, in the direction of Ramstein, the military base in southwest Germany where another meeting of the Americans with other allies of Ukraine is taking place this Friday.
Meanwhile, reports are increasing the pressure on Pistorius and Scholz: Sweden wants to deliver CV-90 armored personnel carriers and the Archer artillery system to Ukraine, France is sending AMX-10 RC light battle tanks, and Great Britain is sending 600 more Brimstone guided missiles, according to media reports. Germany recently agreed to supply Ukraine with Marder infantry fighting vehicles and Patriot anti-aircraft missiles.
But battle tanks? Ukraine really wants that “Leopard” Made in Germany, it is considered highly modern, fast and effective. The weapon system can be extremely important, especially in order to regain terrain against the Russian army. But for weeks the federal government has been fighting a defensive battle against external pressure. According to information from our editorial team, Scholz remains true to his line shortly before the summit in Ramstein: cautious politics, no “going it alone”, everything “in consultation with NATO partners” – and not without deliveries of comparable war equipment from the Americans. Scholz apparently continues to play for time. And the US is not supplying any “Abrams” main battle tanks for the time being.
Different: Poland, Denmark, Spain and Finland. They are ready to deliver the “Leos”, but they need the approval of the federal government to do so. Scholz has to dissolve the so-called “end-use declaration”, with which states have contractually committed themselves not to simply pass on German armaments to other countries. During the debate in the Bundestag on Thursday, the CDU foreign policy expert Johann Wadephul emphasized that the Ukraine needed Western battle tanks to penetrate in view of an expected major Russian offensive. “Everything fails because of Germany,” criticizes Wadephul.
Defense industry calls for long-term framework agreements for weapons production
In total, in twelve NATO countries like Poland and Spain, there are around 2,000 German-made Leopard tanks in storage. However: It is completely unclear how many of these tanks are actually operational. Experts say in conversation with our editors: only a fraction.
It’s a big one tank dilemma of German and European defense policy, which all the years after the end of the Cold War have known one direction above all: disarm, save, sell. But an armaments industry cannot be started up like a turbine in a hydroelectric power station. As soon as the federal government has issued an export license for main battle tanks from countries such as Poland and Spain, it is advisable not only to have this Leopard “ready for action again, but also to bring it to a common armament stand,” says Kurt Braatz in an interview with our editors. He is head of overall communications for the Amsterdam-based tank builder KNDS, which also owns the German armaments manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW). KMW builds the Leopard.
the “armament stand” is relevant. Because although the reserves of Leopard tanks scattered throughout Europe are almost all of the A4 type, they are built very differently. “In Finland they have to be winter-proof, in Spain they have to be extremely heat-resistant. But the Ukrainian army needs a uniform standard that we can use to train the soldiers,” says Braatz. In addition, the condition of the tanks is very different, many have been stored in halls for years, are defective or urgently need spare parts.
All potential orders for the defense industry. So far, however, there has been no order from the government. More time passes. It is difficult to say how much time it will take for the industry to reactivate Leopard tanks. Braatz says: “You will probably have to reckon with six months per vehicle.” The management of the second large German armaments company, Rheinmetall, expressed a similar view.
“First the contracts, then the development of production capacities and deliveries”
Long-term framework agreements on armaments deliveries with the federal government are central to the industry. “Only on such a secure basis can the industry produce spare parts for stock, but also expand delivery capacities overall,” emphasizes Braatz. Or contracts but the production for the company is too high a risk. “First the contracts, then the construction of the production capacities and the deliveries. The industry will then be able to handle it.” It’s about legal certainty and about money. Several armaments companies have already announced the expansion of manufacturing capacities.
If it were up to the coalition partners of Scholz, the Greens and the FDP, the federal government would be much more offensive. the Delivery of the leopard is also considered important in this part of the coalition because there is enough ammunition for the main battle tank. A look at the front shows how explosive the situation is: the Ukrainian army is just running out of shells for the Soviet-designed tank models. The supply is only enough for a few weeks, can be heard in German government circles.
Also read: This is the new Defense Minister Boris Pistorius
As the new Secretary of Defense Pistorius his US guest Lloyd Austin Greeted in English in Bendlerblock on Thursday, the SPD man said: “We have a lot of issues to discuss” – there is a lot to discuss, “first of all” the support for Ukraine. “German systems are proving their worth in Ukraine,” emphasizes Pistorius, citing armored personnel carriers, Patriot air defense systems, multiple rocket launchers and howitzers. He does not mention the leopard.
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