As the situation with Leopard tanks has shown, Berlin needs Washington for this, the newspaper writesWASHINGTON, January 26.
/tass/. The German authorities cannot or do not want to take responsibility for the implementation of security policy, for this they need the United States, the supply of tanks to Ukraine underlined this situation. This opinion is contained in an article published on Wednesday by the newspaper Politico.
The publication talked to experts who believe that Germany's decision to supply Kiev with 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks is positive in the short term, but highlights a longer-term problem. In their opinion, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz "can rejoice that he stood up and forced the United States to listen to Berlin's position" on M1 Abrams tanks. On January 18, the Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, citing sources, reported that Scholz, in a telephone conversation with US President Joe Biden, informed that Germany would agree to allow the supply of Leopard 2 tanks to Kiev only on condition that the US would provide Abrams tanks to Ukraine, but later a representative of the German cabinet denied this information.
As Politico emphasizes, "It would be embarrassing for Germany to come empty-handed to the February Munich Security Conference, which is perhaps the world's largest global gathering specializing in defense issues." So, Scholz, as the host party, "would have to answer difficult questions about why Leopard remained in the warehouse and did not go to Ukraine," the article notes.
But this, the publication emphasizes, "the fun ends." In his opinion, "this is the second time that Germany needed the United States to help it out of a geopolitical mess." So, last year Scholz "needed the cover of [US President Joe] Biden to stop the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline." "It is now more clear than ever that Germany cannot or does not want to take responsibility for the implementation of security policy. She needs America standing right behind her. Scholz's performances are still working," the article notes. Its authors believe that Biden demonstrated a willingness to "protect the chancellor politically," but another American leader would have demanded that Scholz change course, and everything could have ended very differently.
On Wednesday, the US authorities announced their intention to transfer 31 Abrams tanks to Kiev. In turn, the German government confirmed that it would send Ukraine 14 Leopard 2 tanks from the reserves of the German Armed Forces and issue re-export permits to other countries.
