Ukraine tanks debate splits Scholz’s cabinet
Olaf Scholz at odds with foreign minister who said Berlin would not prevent Poland exporting Leopards
Germany’s government appeared to be split last night after Olaf Scholz, the chancellor, overruled his foreign minister to insist that tanks would not be sent to Ukraine. Annalena Baerbock had said on Sunday that Berlin would not “stand in the way” of Poland re-exporting German Leopard 2 tanks to help Ukraine’s armed forces reclaim territory. But a spokesman for Mr Scholz has insisted that Poland would have to follow “procedure” to give the German-made tanks to Kyiv.
GERMANY’S government appeared to be split last night after Olaf Scholz, the chancellor, overruled his own foreign minister to insist that tanks would not be sent to Ukraine.
Annalena Baerbock, the foreign minister, said on Sunday that Berlin would not “stand in the way” of Poland reexporting German Leopard 2 tanks to help Ukraine’s armed forces reclaim territory seized by Russia.
But yesterday a spokesman for Mr Scholz insisted Poland would have to follow an “established procedure” if it wanted to give the German-made tanks to Kyiv.
Mr Scholz was facing increased pressure from a growing chorus of Nato allies that are willing to send Germanmade battle tanks to assist the Ukrainians. Poland, which has held talks with as many as 15 nations, became the first government to announce it will apply for permission to export its Leopards.
Others warned Berlin that it risked its “reliability” as one of Europe’s main security guarantors if Mr Scholz further delayed his decision.
Returning from a surprise visit to Kyiv, Boris Johnson, the former prime minister, wrote in The Daily Mail that Ukraine needed “hundreds of tanks, and they should be getting them from the Americans, the Germans, the Poles, and many others”. He also called for fighter jets and longer-range missiles, while repeating his belief that Vladimir Putin will never follow through on his threat to use nuclear weapons.
His message was echoed by Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff, who yesterday called on Western allies to deliver “not 10 to 20, but several hundred” tanks to help Kyiv win the war.
For months, Ukrainian officials have prioritised deliveries of the Germanmade Leopard 2 over other Natostandard main battle tanks, because of their availability across more than a dozen of the alliance’s armies.
But Germany has refused to sanction shipments amid fears it could escalate the war and without the US following suit with its M1 Abrams. Berlin has long considered tanks an escalation and
‘Berlin thinks there is a perfect decision... there isn’t, and they use it as an excuse to do nothing’
fears becoming a leading aggressor in the conflict.
In what appeared to be a significant shift in Berlin’s policy, Ms Baerbock told LCI television in France on Sunday that Germany would not prevent Poland from sending its Leopards to Ukraine.
“For the moment, the question has not been asked, but if we were asked we would not stand in the way,” she told the broadcaster. Her remarks prompted confusion in Berlin, Warsaw and a host of other Nato capitals.
While she is not a member of Mr Scholz’s Social Democratic Party, Ms Baerbock, a Green politician, is a powerful member of Germany’s ruling “traffic light” coalition.
Her comments were watered down by Steffen Hebestreit, Mr Scholz’s spokesman, who said Berlin would not deviate from any official procedures for countries wanting to re-export Leopard tanks. “If such an application is made in Germany, and it hasn’t so far, then there are established procedures for dealing with it, and we are sticking to them,” he said in response to questions over Poland’s bid to send Leopards to Ukraine. Mr Hebestreit added Berlin was “closely co-ordinating with our international partners, especially the US, on the issue”.
Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, Denmark, Portugal, Sweden and Norway have all signalled a willingness to form an international coalition aimed at providing Leopard tanks to Kyiv.
But under their original purchase contracts with Germany, they must first seek permission for a change of “end user” certificates before transfers can be legally made.
In a sign of the growing frustration, a senior diplomatic source said: “I can’t forgive them for never being there when it matters. Berlin seems to think there is a perfect decision in the fog of war... there isn’t, and they use it as an excuse to do nothing.”
Ahead of the ministerial meeting in Brussels yesterday, politicians from Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania signed a joint “calling “on Germany to provide Leopard tanks to Ukraine now, saying Germany as the leading European power has special responsibility in this regard”. Britain and the US have also joined the international coalition hoping to convince Berlin to free the Leopard tanks, privately lobbying Germany to do so.
An EU diplomat said: “How much heat does Germany want for its decision, especially when it has gone further than everyone, but the US, in terms of support for Ukraine?”
Questioning the German decision, Edgars Rinkevics, Latvia’s foreign minister, told reporters in Brussels: “Germany is one of the leading nations. Being big means a lot of responsibility.”