German Chancellor Olaf Scholz agrees to provide Ukraine with Leopard 2 battle tanks

After weeks of hesitation that saw growing impatience among Germany’s allies, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has announced his government would provide Ukraine with Leopard 2 battle tanks and approve requests by other countries to do the same.

In a statement, the government said it would initially provide Ukraine with one company of Leopard 2 A6 tanks, which comprises 14 vehicles, from its own stocks.

The goal is for Germany and its allies to provide Ukraine with a total of two battalions, or 88 tanks.

“This is the result of intensive consultations, once again, with our allies and international partners,” Mr Scholz said in an address to German politicians.

“It was right and it is important that we didn’t let ourselves be driven [into making the decision],” he added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed satisfaction at the news.

Several European countries have equipped their armies with Leopard 2 tanks, and Germany’s announcement means they can give some of their stocks to Ukraine.

“German main battle tanks, further broadening of defence support and training missions, green light for partners to supply similar weapons. Just heard about these important and timely decisions in a call with Olaf Scholz,” Mr Zelenskyy wrote on Twitter.

US expected to send Abrams tanks

The long-awaited decision came after officials in the United States said a preliminary agreement had been struck to send M1 Abrams tanks to help Kyiv push back Russian forces entrenched in the east almost a year since the start of the war.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision has not yet been made public.

It is not clear when or how the tanks would be delivered to Ukraine, or how soon they could have an impact on the battlefield.

Military analysts have said Russian forces are thought to be preparing for a spring offensive.

While Ukraine’s supporters previously have supplied tanks, they were Soviet models in the stockpiles of countries that once were in Moscow’s sphere of influence but are now aligned with the West.

Mr Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials insisted their forces need more modern Western-designed tanks to defeat Russia.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Germany’s decision.

Mr Scholz had insisted that any move to provide Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks would need to be closely coordinated with Germany’s allies, chiefly the United States.

By getting Washington to commit some of its own tanks, Berlin hopes to spread the risk of any backlash from Russia.

‘The best battle tank in the world’

Ekkehard Brose, head of the German military’s Federal Academy for Security Policy, said tying the United States into the decision was crucial, to avoid Europe facing a nuclear-armed Russia alone.

But he also noted the deeper historic significance of the decision.

“German-made tanks will face off against Russian tanks in Ukraine once more,” he said, adding that this was “not an easy thought” for Germany, which takes its responsibility for the horrors of World War II seriously.

“And yet it is the right decision,” Mr Brose said, arguing that it was up to Western democracies to help Ukraine stop Russia’s military campaign.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius cautioned that it would take about three months for the first tanks to be deployed in Ukraine.

He described the Leopard 2 as “the best battle tank in the world”.

The German government said it planned to swiftly begin training Ukrainian tank crews in Germany. The package being put together would also include logistics, ammunition and maintenance.

Germany has already provided considerable amounts of military hardware to Ukraine, including powerful PzH 2000 howitzers, Iris-T air-defence systems and Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns that have proved highly effective against Russian drones.

It also announced plans to supply a Patriot air-defence battery and Marder infantry fighting vehicles.

Russia on edge over tanks for Ukraine

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described German and US intentions with the tanks as a “a rather disastrous plan”.

“I am convinced that many specialists understand the absurdity of this idea,” Mr Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.

“Simply because of technological aspects, this is a rather disastrous plan,” the Kremlin official said.

“The main thing is, this is a completely obvious overestimation of the potential [the supply of tanks] would add to the armed forces of Ukraine. It is yet another fallacy, a rather profound one.”

Poland welcomes decision to OK tanks

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who had previously called into question Germany’s commitment to helping Ukraine, thanked  his German counterpart following Wednesday’s announcement.

“Thank you @Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz,” he wrote on Twitter.

Other European nations including Finland and the Netherlands, have also indicated willingness to part with their own battle tanks as part of a larger coalition.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain, which had said it planned to send 14 of its Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, welcomed Germany’s decision to further “strengthen Ukraine’s defensive firepower”.

“Together, we are accelerating our efforts to ensure Ukraine wins this war and secures a lasting peace,” Mr Sunak said on Twitter.

Still, it isn’t clear whether Ukraine will receive the estimated 300 tanks that analysts say are required to keep Russia from advancing in Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia provinces and to press a counteroffensive in the country’s south-east.

Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, said on Telegram after Germany’s announcement that “many Leopards are needed”.

AP/Reuters