German Chancellor Olaf Scholz formally announced on Wednesday that after weeks of deadlock and frustrating negotiations, Berlin has agreed to send two battalions of Leopard 2 A6 tanks to Ukraine.
In a statement, the government said it would initially send a company of 14 tanks to Kyiv, although it aims to send up to 88 tanks from its own reserves.
Scholz said: “This decision follows our well-known line of supporting Ukraine to the best of our ability. We are acting in a closely coordinated manner at the international level.”
MUNSTER, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 7: A new Leopard 2 A7V heavy battle tank of the Bundeswehr’s 9th Panzer Training Brigade stands during a visit by Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht to the training grounds of the Bundeswehr Army on February 7, 2022 in Munster, Germany.
(Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
GERMANY ‘NOW APPRECIATE THE MOMENT’ AS IT FINALLY AGREES TO SEND TANKS TO UKRAINE, SAYS GRAHAM
Some 15 other EU nations that hold the German-made tanks in their own stocks have increased pressure on Berlin in recent weeks to approve re-exports to Ukraine as the war nears the 12-month mark.
“Germany will issue the corresponding transfer permits to partner countries that want to quickly deliver Leopard 2 tanks from their stocks to Ukraine,” the statement on Wednesday confirmed.
It is not clear when tanks from Germany or allied countries will be in Ukraine, although the statement said that the training of Ukrainian troops in Germany will begin “quickly.”
Western officials have been sounding the alarm that allied nations cannot dwell on the issue any longer, as Russia looks to launch a massive counter-offensive in the near future.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks to soldiers in front of a Leopard 2 main battle tank after the Army training and instruction exercise in Ostenholz, Germany, Monday, Oct. 17, 2022.
US MAY DELIVERY ‘SIGNIFICANT NUMBER’ OF ABRAMS TANKS TO UKRAINE DESPITE PENTAGON DOUBTS
Reports emerged Tuesday night showing that the US has also decided to send in its Abrams tanks despite weeks of raising concerns about efficiency and cost of maintenance.
But training on the more than 30 tanks the Pentagon plans to send will push the delivery schedule back months, the Associated Press reported.
It is unclear why the United States ultimately decided to send its own tanks, though the decision comes as nations grew increasingly frustrated with Germany, which suggested earlier this month that it would only send tanks if the United States also agreed.
DONETSK OBLAST, UKRAINE – JANUARY 18: Ukrainian tankers perform maintenance on their tanks on the Donbass front as military mobility within the Russo-Ukrainian war continues on January 18, 2023.
(Photo by Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham, RS.C, and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., on Tuesday urged the Biden administration to send as few as three to five tanks if that’s what it takes to jump-start the deployment of the Leopard 2 tanks from Germany.
Defense officials have said it makes more sense to employ Ukraine with the German-made tanks, as there are “thousands” of them across Europe and training along with maintenance is much more manageable than on more advanced Abrams tanks.
