Germany ‘agrees to send its tanks’
Berlin opens door for Nato allies to send hardware to Ukraine
GERMANY has agreed to send its main battle tank to Ukraine and let Nato allies donate their Germanmade hardware too, it was reported last night.
The move, if officially confirmed, should see Ukraine supplied with hundreds of Leopard 2s to lead its spring offensive against Russian invaders.
It comes after reports the United States is considering supplying the Abrams M1 tank to take part in what could be the definitive phase of the conflict.
Germany had previously declared it would send Leopards and permit other countries to export theirs if America also supplied tanks. In what would be a major foreign policy shift, the US is expected to send an as yet undermined number of Abrams M1s.
Previously President Joe Biden has declined Ukrainian requests for tanks. But, following a dramatic change of heart, the first American deliveries could reach the battletorn country next week.
Ukraine has said it needs to receive 300 Western main battle tanks to add to its existing fleet – Russia is believed to have 1,000 tanks – ahead of its attempted advance.
The initial German donation is expected to be 14 tanks – the same number of British Challenger 2s given by the UK.
Earlier yesterday Poland declared it was prepared to send Leopard 2 to Ukraine with or without Berlin’s approval – a move which would breach end-user agreements.
Defence minister Mariusz Blaszczak said: ‘I appeal to the German side to join the coalition... it is about
‘Security of the whole of Europe’
the security of the whole of Europe.’
Germany emphasised it would be treated with the ‘necessary urgency’. It follows direct talks between officials and a plea by Boris Johnson for Western states to send more aid.
Ukraine will receive up to 30 of the Abrams tanks which previously saw service in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Rather like the Challenger 2s, the Abrams M1s could prove complicated for Ukrainian crews to master in time for the spring offensive – as training to use them takes several months. Leopard 2s are seen as a practical option for Ukraine as the tank is available in large quantities.
Nato member states are under
stood to hold stocks of 2,000 but only a minority of these are in working order. Russia has threatened Germany with diplomatic reprisals if it goes ahead with Leopard 2 deal.
Two British volunteers who went missing in Ukraine this year were confirmed dead last night.
Christopher Parry, 28, and Andrew Bagshaw, 48, were killed while ‘attempting a humanitarian evacuation in Soledar’, their families said.
FINALLY, it appears that Germany has found the moral courage to do the right thing and agree to send its Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz, according to German media, is likely to join the US in delivering the crucial hardware to help President Zelensky’s plucky forces defeat Putin’s invaders.
Could it be Boris Johnson’s eloquent and haunting piece in yesterday’s Mail, calling for the supply of tanks to end Russian aggression, has helped persuade our allies to up the ante in the fight for democracy?