Berlin/Paris.
For the first time since the war, Germany and the USA want to supply Ukraine with armored personnel carriers to fight against the Russian attackers.
Germany and the USA want it Ukraine deliver infantry fighting vehicles for the fight against the Russian attackers for the first time. The Chancellor agreed Olaf Scholz and US President Joe Biden in a phone call on Thursday, as it was then said in a joint statement. France and the US had previously in the tank question shifted up a gear and thus increased the pressure on the federal government.
president Emmanuel Macron announced on Wednesday evening that it would send “light battle tanks” to the government in Kyiv. It is the first time that a country has sent such western-made armaments to Ukraine, according to Macron. The AMX-10 RC tank is a six-wheeled reconnaissance tank that has seen action in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Sahel. Among other things, they are equipped with a 105mm cannon, which almost reaches the caliber of the Bundeswehr’s Leopard 2 main battle tank.
US President Joe Biden also confirmed on Wednesday that the US government would support the delivery of infantry fighting vehicles of the type bradley to Ukraine is considering. Bradley tanks typically feature a cannon, machine gun, and armor-piercing missiles, according to the US military. They are comparable to the Marder infantry fighting vehicle used by the Bundeswehr.
Ukraine war – background and explanations for the conflict
Zelenskyj to Macron: “Thank you, my friend”
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy immediately thanked Macron, both for the delivery of the tank as well as “for the intensive work with the partners in this direction”https://www.waz.de/politik/.”Thank you, my friend. Your leadership brings victory closer,” he wrote on Twitter.
At least signals came from the traffic light coalition that Germany could follow up soon. In government circles it was said that there was close coordination with the USA and other partners and that a “qualitatively new step” would be taken. The marten was already in the conversation.
The tanks could come from Bundeswehr stocks, but more likely from stocks of the defense industry. There may be more clarity after a phone call between Chancellor Scholz and the Ukrainian head of state Selenskyj, which is scheduled for this Friday.
Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck described the planned delivery of the Marder infantry fighting vehicle to Ukraine as a good decision. “Since the beginning of the war, we have increasingly expanded our support in cooperation with our partners. It is logical that we also take this step, ”explained the Green politician on Thursday evening. “Ukraine has the right to defend itself against the Russian attack and we have the duty to help it.”
Göring-Eckardt: “Germany should also be at the forefront of the movement”
After the announcements from Paris and Washington the pressure on the chancellor increased in Berlin. The Vice President of the Bundestag, Katrin Göring-Eckardt, pushed for the delivery of German battle tanks to Ukraine. “If France continues to move forward with tank deliveries, Germany should also be at the forefront of the movement,” the Greens politician told our editorial team.
The chairman of the Europe Committee in the Bundestag, Anton Hofreiter, calls for the delivery of numerous European battle tanks to Ukraine. Scholz must “now start a European initiative to deliver Leopard 2 tanks,” the Greens politician told our editorial team. Leopard 2 would be used in more than ten European countries. “There are about 2,000 active Leopard 2s in Europe. Only 10 percent delivered to Ukraine would be a big help.”
The Chair of the Defense Committee in the Bundestag made a similar statement, Marie Agnes Strack Zimmermann (FDP). “The argument constantly advanced by the Federal Chancellery that Germany should not go it alone is absolutely passé,” she said. Ukraine must now “win in order to defend our freedom and our values - and that is only possible with the support of tanks,” emphasized the liberals.
“We will not stop supplying arms to Ukraine,” said Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens) on Thursday at an economic conference in Oslo. An American diplomat added: “We are always looking at how we can improve Ukraine’s defense capabilities. Everything is discussed.”
The heaviest weapon system from Germany so far has been the Gepard tank
The Ambassador of Ukraine in Berlin, Oleksii Makeiev, had called for a “German leadership role” in supplying arms to his country. “We have reason to hope that the decision will be made to deliver Leopard 2 from Germany directly to Ukraine,” Makeiev told our editorial team in November. After the recent advances from Paris and Washington, Ukraine seems to have come at least a small step closer to its goal.
Until now, Western countries had shied away from supplying main battle tanks and armored personnel carriers. According to experts, they represent a significant increase in military commitment and could be viewed by Moscow as “direct involvement in the war.” Neither did the French send Leclerc main battle tanks to Kyiv, nor did the Americans send their M1 Abrams – the German counterparts leopard 2. The heaviest weapon system that Germany has delivered to date are decommissioned Gepard-type tanks, which are used for anti-aircraft defense.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) had so far rejected the delivery of Leopard battle tanks and Marder infantry fighting vehicles on the grounds that no other NATO country provides such tanks. There would be no going it alone, he emphasized again and again. However, the most important ally, the USA, has given the green light for the deployment of German main battle tanks. “It’s Germany’s decision,” said US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman recently during a visit to Germany in Berlin. It is quite possible that the martens are just the beginning.
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