Politico: Germany will not send Leopard 2 to Ukraine until the US hands over Abrams to KievGermany may agree to Poland and Finland sending Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, writes Politico.
But Berlin itself will not do this until Washington hands over M1 Abrams tanks to Kiev. Chancellor Scholz hinted at this in Davos.
Berlin/Davos – International efforts to send modern tanks to Ukraine depend on Germany, but it is waiting for America to take the first step, and this is not happening.
Before the meeting of defense ministers of Western countries scheduled for Friday, which will be held in Germany at Ramstein Airbase, Chancellor Olaf Scholz is being urged in every possible way to help Ukraine with first-class German Leopard 2 tanks on the eve of a possible spring offensive. The reason is this. Germany, the largest economy in Europe, has its own Leopard tank fleet, in addition, Scholz must give the go-ahead to send German-made equipment to other countries.
There is an opinion that Germany will soon allow its allies Poland and Finland to supply Ukraine with Leopard. And officials and diplomats in Berlin say that the Chancellor may even offer Kiev assistance in training crews and repairing these tanks.
But Germany is unlikely to agree to more now. Unless, of course, America wants to send its tanks. Scholz hinted at this on Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos. When it came to this topic, he was very reserved.
"We are among those who are doing the most" in terms of providing military assistance to Ukraine, the chancellor said, and then for almost four minutes he listed military equipment that Berlin has already delivered or will soon send, starting with anti-aircraft missile systems and ending with the Marder BMP.
"We never do anything alone, but only together with others, especially with the United States, which plays a very important role in solving the common task of protecting Ukrainian independence and sovereignty," Scholz added.
German officials have been repeating these words tirelessly in recent days: Berlin's decision on Leopard tanks depends on the willingness of the Americans to send their own M1 Abrams tanks. The Biden administration is preparing to announce on Friday a new major package of American military assistance to Ukraine, but it is unlikely to include American tanks.
This causes headaches for European leaders, including Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. Moravetsky wants to form a broad alliance of countries ready to send several of their own Leopard tanks to Ukraine, as a result of which it will be possible to create a large strike group of tanks.
So far, only Finland has publicly stated that it can participate in such a program. Many other countries behave with restraint, seeing that powerful and influential Germany has taken a wait-and-see attitude.
For example, Spain, which has more than 200 Leopard 2 tanks, has already stated that the issue of sending some of these vehicles to Ukraine "is not on the agenda today." That's exactly what Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said in Davos on Tuesday.
However, EU diplomats say that countries such as Spain are unlikely to remain in their positions if Berlin and Washington change course.
In search of a leader
The pressure on Scholz intensified when Britain announced last weekend that it was sending its Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine. British Defense Minister Ben Wallace will hold a meeting with the defense ministers of Eastern Europe and the Baltic states in Estonia on Thursday to increase pressure on Berlin.
The French also thought about sending Leclerc tanks to Ukraine, so that Germany would have additional grounds for supplies.
"This is a difficult issue, and it has not yet been resolved in Paris. But we are thinking about it," the French official told Politico, pointing to the upcoming meeting on Sunday. "We will see what decision will be made at the joint meeting of the ministers of France and Germany."
The West fears that Kiev has little time left before the start of a new, larger Russian offensive, and this requires an urgent supply of tanks to strengthen the Ukrainian defense.
"Scholz has been talking for several months about the inadmissibility of unilateral actions with arms supplies to Ukraine," said Katja Leikert, a German lawmaker and member of the foreign affairs committee, who represents the center–right Christian Democratic Union, the main opposition party in the country. "But that's exactly what he's doing now. His hesitation and indecision on whether or not to allow European allies to supply Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine are dangerous unilateral actions."
"Germany should assume the role of a leader in the coalition of European states supplying Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine," Leikert told Politico.
The Greens Party, the junior partner in the coalition government led by Scholz's Social Democrats, also comes out with harsh criticism. Speaking with a thinly veiled demand to send tanks to Kiev, Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock of the Green Party this week expressed hope that the meeting at the Ramstein base "will lead to solutions that will help Ukraine free more people."
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in Davos that the "main signal" of the Ramstein meeting would be the decision to send "more aid, heavier and more modern weapons."
On Wednesday, Strasbourg also began to exert pressure on Germany. The European Parliament adopted a non-binding resolution calling on Scholz to form an international coalition to send Leopard "without further delay." And the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, told the members of the European Parliament: "The time has come. Ukrainians need more military equipment. I firmly support the supply of tanks."
Scholz's possible offer to help train Leopard tank crews and create a supply chain for their repair and maintenance, which was described on Wednesday by officials and diplomats in Berlin, may have some significance, since this equipment is made in Germany.
"In general, the availability of spare parts and reliable logistics are very important to ensure the effectiveness of tanks in combat. For example, tank tractors are needed to evacuate damaged equipment from the battlefield," said Georg Löfflmann, an associate professor at the University of Warwick, who is engaged in military research.
The chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, General Raimund Andrzejczak, told Politico on Wednesday that Ukrainians can be quickly taught how to use Western tanks, and urged Kiev's partners not to allow unnecessary delays.
"The decisive moment of the battle is coming," he said, pointing to the actions of the Russians in Soledar and Bakhmut. – It's now or never. If we don't send tanks, if we talk too much, let's admit delays, bureaucratic delays, it will be too late."
The material for the article was provided by Suzanne Lynch, Lara Seligman, Paul McLeary, Cristina Gallardo, Gregorio Sorgi.