Germany says it will send 14 Leopard tanks to Ukraine to start
CBC
After weeks of hesitation that saw growing impatience among Germany's allies, Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced Wednesday that his government would provide Ukraine with Leopard 2 battle tanks and approve requests by other countries to do the same.
In a statement, the German 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 decision follows our well-known line of supporting Ukraine to the best of our ability," Scholz said after a cabinet meeting in Berlin.
Germany was "acting in close co-ordination" with its international allies, he said.
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Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said that Germany had advised several allies of its plan ahead of the announcement, including Canada.
"Germany will always be at the forefront when it comes to supporting Ukraine," Scholz said later in an address to lawmakers in the Bundestag.
The long-awaited decision came after U.S. officials said a preliminary agreement had been struck for the United States 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.
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By getting Washington to commit some of its own tanks Berlin hopes to spread the risk of any backlash from Russia.
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, noting that this was "not an easy thought" for Germany, which takes its responsibility for the horrors of the Second World War seriously.
Members of Scholz's three-party coalition government welcomed the news ahead of the official announcement.
