Leaders fail to resolve dispute on tanks
RAMSTEIN, Germany — Defense leaders meeting at a U.S. air base in on Germany on Friday failed to resolve divisions over providing advanced battle tanks to Ukraine after more than five hours of discussions about sending more military aid to the embattled country in its war with Russia.
The defense minister of Poland, which has pledged a company of 14 Leopard tanks on condition that other countries also supply them, said 15 countries that have the German-made Leopards discussed the issue but no decisions were made.
Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak called the meeting a “good discussion among allies” and said the matter would be discussed again at future talks.
Though the tank debate was unresolved, Germany’s new defense minister suggested the issue was moving forward.
Germany would need to consent for the tanks to be given to Ukraine, which is not a member of NATO. Despite pleas from Ukrainian officials, Germany has so far resisted mounting pressure to quickly supply Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv, or at least clear the way for other countries, such as Poland, to deliver them from their own stocks.
Speaking to reporters outside the conference hall at midday, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that while there was no resolution yet, “we will make our decisions as soon as possible.”
He said he had ordered the ministry to look into the tank stocks Germany has so he can be prepared for a possible green light and be able to “act immediately.” Pistorius added that Germany will “balance all the pros and contras before we decide things like that. I am very sure that there will be a decision in the short term but – I don’t know how the decision will look.”
The defense leaders opened their day hearing an impassioned plea for more military aid from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Speaking live via video link, he told the gathering that “terror does not allow for discussion.” He said “the war started by Russia does not allow delays.”
Ukrainian leaders have criticized Germany for what they see as holding back critical assistance in the war. But U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin defended German leaders after the meeting, which ran more than five hours. Asked by a reporter if Germany was doing enough to show “real leadership” in Europe, Austin replied, “Yes, but we can all do more.”
“They are a reliable ally and they’ve been that way for for a very, very long time,” he said. “And I truly believe that they’ll continue to be a reliable ally going forward.”
Austin also downplayed the immediate importance of tanks, noting that Stryker combat vehicles and Bradley armored vehicles being sent for the first time would give Ukraine new capabilities in the war.
“This isn’t really about one single platform,” he said.
Meanwhile, a Kremlin spokesman said the deployment of Western tanks would trigger “unambiguously negative” consequences.
“All these tanks will require both maintenance and repairs, and so on, so (sending them) will add to Ukraine’s problems, but will not change anything with regard to the Russian side achieving its goals,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during a media briefing Friday.