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German has confirmed it will make 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks available for Ukraine’s war effort, and give partner countries permission to re-export further battle tanks to Kyiv, overcoming misgivings about sending heavy weaponry that Ukraine sees as crucial to defeat the Russian invasion.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s seeming hesitancy on the question of delivering the battle tanks wanted by the Zelenskiy government had in recent days caused growing consternation among western allies.
Washington’s reported promise on Tuesday to deliver a significant number of its own Abrams tanks to Kyiv, in step with its European partners, appeared to break the deadlock, however. On top of the German company of Leopard 2A6 tanks, Finland, Spain and the Netherlands will also contribute vehicles of the same model, according to German media reports. A second battalion will be made up of Leopard 2A4 tanks supplied by Poland and Norway.
Shortly before midday on Wednesday local time, Berlin announced it would send a company of Leopard 2A6 tanks and give the required authorisation for other European countries to deliver the German-manufactured machines.
“This decision follows on from our official line to support Ukraine to the best of our ability,” said Scholz. “We are acting in close international coordination.”
The US is yet to make an official announcement on its expected delivery to Ukraine.
The Kremlin has downplayed the impact that Western tanks will have in repelling its forces in Ukraine, saying that the military aid to Ukraine would “burn like all the rest.”
In remarks to reporters on Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov called the transfer of tanks to the Ukrainian army a “failed plan.
