Germany won’t block; The German government will not object if Poland decides to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Germany’s top diplomat said on Sunday, signaling the need to provide a weapon. That Kyiv has described as necessary to defend against a growing Russian offensive.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told French broadcaster LCI. That Poland had not formally sought Berlin’s approval to share some of its German-made Leopards. Added that “if we were ask, we would not stand in the way”.
Germany won’t block; German officials “know how important these tanks are” and “that’s why we are discussing this now with our partners. Baerbock said in an interview published by LCI.
Supporters of Ukraine promised military aid worth billions of dollars to Ukraine at a meeting held at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Friday. International defense leaders discussed Ukraine’s urgent request for Leopard 2 tanks. The failure to reach a deal overshadowed new commitments.
Germany is one of the main arms donors to Ukraine and has ordered. A review of its Leopard 2 inventory in preparation for a possible green light. Nevertheless, the Berlin government has shown caution at every step it takes to increase military aid to Ukraine. A Reluctance Believe to be root in the country’s history and political culture.
Germany’s Reticence Has Drawn Criticism
Germany won’t block; Germany’s reticence has drawn criticism, particularly from Poland. The Baltic states, NATO’s eastern flank, which see themselves as particularly threatened by renewed Russian aggression.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has said that if another NATO. EU member does not agree to hand over Leopard tanks to Ukraine. His country is ready to build a “smaller alliance” of countries that will definitely send theirs.
“Almost a year has passed since the outbreak of war. Morawiecki told the Polish state news agency PAP in an interview published on Sunday. “Evidence of the war crimes of the Russian army can be seen on TV and YouTube. What more does Germany need to open its eyes and start acting according to the capabilities of the German state?”
Earlier, some Polish officials indicated that Finland and Denmark were also ready to send leopards to Ukraine.
Germany won’t block; Earlier on Sunday, the speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament. State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, said that if governments gave Ukraine more powerful weapons. They would cause “a global tragedy that will destroy their countries.”
Washington and NATO
Germany won’t block; Supplying the Kiev regime with offensive weapons will lead to a world catastrophe,” Volodin said. “If Washington and NATO gave us weapons. That they would use to attack peaceful cities and try to take control of us, as they are threatening. It would trigger retaliation with more powerful weapons.”
French President Emmanuel Macron, meanwhile, said on Sunday. That he had asked his defense minister to “develop” some French Leclerc combat vehicles for Ukraine.
Macron spoke with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at a news conference in Paris as France and Germany commemorated the 60th anniversary of the post-World War II friendship treaty. In their joint statement, the countries promised their “unwavering support” to Ukraine.
According to Macron, France decides on tanks based on three criteria. That the sharing of equipment does not lead to an escalation of conflicts. That it provides effective feasible assistance, taking into account training time. That it does not weaken France’s position. own army.
On Sunday, Scholz did not answer the question about the Leopard 2 tanks. But emphasized that his country has already made significant military contributions to Ukraine.
“The United States is doing a lot, Germany is also doing a lot,” he said. “We have continually expanded our deployments with highly effective weapons that are already available today. And these decisions have always been made in close consultation with our important allies and friends.”
United States to Send Some Abrams Tanks to Ukraine
In Washington, two top lawmakers urged the United States to send some Abrams tanks to Ukraine in order to overcome Germany’s reluctance to share its own, more adequate tanks.
“If we were to announce that we were giving one Abrams tank, just one, it would unleash the flow of tanks from Germany,” Rep. Michael McCaul, the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said on ABC’s “This Sunday.” “What I’m hearing is that Germany is waiting for us to take the lead.”
Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also called for the United States to send Abrams.
“If that requires us to send some Abrams tanks to open up the Leopard tanks from Germany, Poland or other allies, I would support that,” Coons said.
Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, said Friday’s meeting of the US government at an air base in Germany “leaves no doubt that our enemies will try to wear us down or, at best, destroy us”, adding that “they have enough weapons” to reach the goal.
Former Russian President Medvedev warned that “in the event of a protracted conflict” Russia may try to form a military alliance with “nations that have become full of Americans and their neutered dogs.”
Ukraine has argued that it needs more weapons as it anticipates a new offensive by Russian forces this spring.
Oleksii Danilov;
Oleksii Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s Security and Defense Council, warned that Russia may try to step up its attacks in the south and east and cut off supply channels for Western weapons, but defeating Kyiv “remains the main dream of President Vladimir Putin’s plan.” “fantasies,” he said.
In the section of the online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda. he described the Kremlin’s goal in the conflict as “total and complete genocide, a total war of annihilation.”
Among those who asked for more weapons for Ukraine was former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who made a surprise trip to Ukraine on Sunday. Johnson, pictured in the city of Borodyanka in the Kyiv region, said he traveled to Ukraine at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Germany won’t block; Now is the moment to double down and give the Ukrainians all the tools they need to get the job done. The sooner Putin falls, the better for Ukraine and the world,” Johnson said in a statement.
Last week was particularly tragic for Ukraine, even compared to the nearly year-long brutal war that has killed tens of thousands of people, uprooted millions more, and wreaked havoc on Ukrainian cities.
Russian missiles hit an apartment complex in the southeastern city of Dnipro on January 14, killing at least 45 civilians. On Wednesday, a government helicopter crashed into the building of a kindergarten in a suburb of Kyiv. Ukraine’s interior minister, other officials and a child sitting on the ground were among the 14 dead.
On Sunday, Zelensky vowed that Ukraine would eventually win the war.
“We are united because we are strong. We are strong because we are united,” the Ukrainian leader said in a video speech on the occasion of Ukraine’s Unity Day, which commemorates the reunification of eastern and western Ukraine in 1919.
