Volodymyr Zelensky continues to put pressure on his Western partners, and especially on Germany, to quickly obtain heavier military aid in the face of the increasing Russian offensives and provocations. In videoconference at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday January 18, he regretted the lack of responsiveness of Western countries, too slow in his eyes, launching a “call for speed”. This Thursday, January 19, he also specifically criticized Berlin’s hesitations which blocked the delivery of German heavy tanks, saying that it was not “the right strategy”.
“Russia needed less than a second to start the war. The world needed days to react with the first sanctions”, lamented the Ukrainian president. As an example, he recalled times in the past when the world had been “hesitant” to react to “without hesitation” actions by Moscow, referring to the occupation of Crimea.
Germany has been hesitating for several days to authorize the delivery of Leopard tanks to Ukraine: the delivery of any German war material by any country, such as these very powerful battle tanks, must first obtain the green light from Berlin. The Finnish, Lithuanian, Polish and British leaders are constantly calling on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for a quick decision.
“There are times when one should not hesitate or compare oneself. When someone says: I will deliver tanks if someone else does,” said Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday. He was referring to information reported by several American and German mediathat Berlin will refuse to deliver its Leopard battle tanks to kyiv until Washington does the same with its Abrams tanks.
In response, NATO has pledged to provide increasingly powerful weapons to Ukraine to stand up to Russia’s offensives, Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced on Wednesday 18 January. “We will meet (Friday) in Ramstein (Germany) in the US-led Ukraine Contact Group and the main message will be increased support with heavier and more modern weapons,” he said. he declared in Davos. It mainly refers to the provision of heavy armor and modern air defense systems. Western military support has so far only sent light tanks and armored personnel carriers.
Several countries stand ready to implement this commitment. The United Kingdom has already promised 14 Challenger 2 heavy tanks and Poland says it is ready to send 14 German-made Leopard 2 tanks, if Berlin authorizes their export to Ukraine. “It would be very dangerous to underestimate Russia. Vladimir Putin is planning new offensives and he is ready to sacrifice his youth. He has mobilized more than 200,000 fighters and he is in the process of acquiring weapons from authoritarian regimes like Iran,” warned Jens Stoltenberg. “Time is running out. The situation is urgent. Ukraine needs more support,” he insisted.
European Council President Charles Michel also announced on Thursday that he was “on his way to kyiv” to discuss with the Ukrainian head of state “concrete measures […] to ensure that Ukraine is stronger and more powerful.” “Ukrainians are fighting for their land, for the future of their children. But they are also fighting for our common European values of peace and prosperity,” the 27 leader said.
The United States has nevertheless announced that it is not ready to supply Ukraine with its most advanced heavy tanks, the Abrams, according to a statement on Wednesday from Pentagon number three Colin Kahl. “I don’t think we are there,” said the senior official, questioned during a press briefing.
He justified this refusal by questions of maintenance and training. “The Abrams tank is very complicated equipment. It is expensive, it requires difficult training, it has a jet engine. I believe it consumes 11 liters of kerosene per km,” he said. . According to him, the principle is not to provide the Ukrainians with armaments which they “cannot repair, which they cannot maintain and which they cannot afford in the long term because it is of no interest “. However, he did not rule out a change in the American position in the future.
During his speech, the Ukrainian head of state reaffirmed his objective of “liberating all” of the Ukrainian territories taken by Russia. This concerns the 4 Oblasts unilaterally annexed by Vladimir Putin in September (the regions of Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhya), in which Ukrainian troops are fighting to regain ground little by little. But also Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014. “Crimea is our land, our territory, our sea and our mountains. Give us your weapons and we will recover our lands”, he launched in the direction of his western partners.
Volodymyr Zelensky asked for a minute of silence on Wednesday January 18, at the start of his speech in Davos, for the victims of the helicopter crash near kyiv earlier in the day. It was the aircraft carrying the Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky, killed in this fall which left at least 14 dead in total, including a child from a nearby nursery school, when he was going to the front line. Nine people were on board, and 25 people were injured in the crash and hospitalized, including 11 children.
A criminal investigation is underway to determine the reasons for this accident. “Several theories are being studied and I am not authorized to speak about the different hypotheses until the outcome of the investigations,” said the Ukrainian leader. US President Joe Biden and his wife Jill have announced that they are crying “with all those who are bereaved by this heartbreaking tragedy,” the White House said.
