The new Leopard 2 A7V heavy battle tank, the most advanced version of the German-made tank.
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Germany again refused to commit to sending German-made tanks to Ukraine despite intense pressure.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on Tuesday said there was no change in Berlin’s position on whether to allow German-made Leopard 2 tanks to be sent to Ukraine, or allow other countries Another country with German-made tanks sent their units to Kiev. He added that the government still needs to assess the situation.
“I can tell you that there is no new information here, the situation has not changed and we are preparing our decision, which will come very soon,” he said at a press conference. with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
“We are looking into the matter, the current state of affairs regarding our Leopard tanks,” he said in translated comments. He noted that Berlin not only looks at inventories and industrial stockpiles, but also considers the compatibility of tanks in combat in Ukraine, as well as issues around supply and maintenance logistics.
Aware that Berlin’s reluctance to the tanks drew widespread criticism, Pistorius asserted that Germany was one of Ukraine’s top military backers aside from the US and UK, and this” often forgotten in public discussions.”
The latest comments from Berlin come after months of pressure on the German government to supply Ukraine with some Leopard 2 tanks or to allow its allies to export German-made battle tanks. to this war-torn country.
A defense summit last Friday at Ramstein airbase failed to reach an agreement on tanks for Kiev, and so far only the UK has committed to sending 14 of its own Challenger 2 tanks. to Ukraine.
On Tuesday, NATO’s Stoltenberg sought to defend Germany from criticism that may have been inevitable following this latest rejection of a tank build-up, saying he was “confident that we will have a solution soon.” France.”
However, he noted that the war had reached a “critical moment” and that the allies “had to deliver heavier units to Ukraine. And we had to do it faster.”
Kyiv for months begged her allies for heavy battle tanks that they said could determine the outcome of the war.
Germany is said to be reluctant to send its own tanks unless the US delivers its own Abrams. Washington has not made it public, saying that just training to maintain and operate its tanks would take months.
German Defense Minister Pistorius asserted on Tuesday that there was no disunity between Berlin and its allies, saying “there are some partners who are still evaluating their decisions and others who want to move faster.” a little bit, but we’re not without unity.”
Disappointed Allies
Despite German assurances, Kyiv’s allies became frustrated with Berlin’s reluctance to take up tanks.
On Saturday, the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania issued a joint statement demanding that Germany “supply Leopard tanks to Ukraine now.” Poland and Finland have repeatedly expressed their willingness to supply Leopard 2 units, with Reuters reporting that Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Monday signaled that Warsaw could proceed without approval. Berlin’s agreement:
“We will ask for such permission, but this is a matter of secondary importance. Even if we do not get this approval… we will still ship our tanks with others. to Ukraine,” Morawiecki said on Monday, according to Reuters. “The condition for us now is to build at least a small coalition of countries.”
Germany’s position seems to have thawed in recent days. On Sunday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told French news agency LCI that Berlin would not stop Poland from sending its own Leopard 2 to Ukraine. That same day, Germany’s newly appointed Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who took over his post last Thursday, on Sunday said he expected a decision imminent.
France said it did not rule out sending its own Leclerc tanks to Ukraine. After meeting his German counterpart on Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters that he had “ask the minister of the army to solve this problem and no possibility is ruled out.”
He added that a decision will be made based on a number of criteria: ensuring any tank supply offers are not “escalated” and taking into account “the reality of capacity, maintenance under conditions”. operating conditions and training time.” The third criterion, Macron said, is not to weaken France’s own defenses.
— CNBC’s Ruxandra Iordache contributed reporting to this story.
