Germany breaks unity with Putin by refusing to release Leopard tanks for Ukraine

The decisive meeting of 50 Western countries in the Ramstein military base (Germany) to coordinate the delivery of arms to Ukraine to deal with Russia has ended in failure. The Government of Berlin has refused to lift its blockade on the delivery of Leopard 2 tanks to the Government of Volodímir Zelenski with the argument that there is no consensus among the allies.

The veto of Germany (which as a manufacturer must authorize any transfer that the other 12 countries that have these armored cars want to make) Puts Western Unity Against Vladimir Putin’s Regime At Risk. A common front that had remained unwavering since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine almost a year ago. In fact, some countries like Poland are considering sending their Leopards without Berlin’s permission.

“The impression that has occasionally been given that there is a united coalition and that Germany stands in the way is incorrect,” said the new German Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius, at the end of the meeting in Ramstein. “There is no unanimous opinion,” says Pistorius. According to his version, no country has asked Berlin for authorization to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine.

[La OTAN se divide por Ucrania: 9 países quieren enviar tanques y Alemania “revisará” sus Leopard]

During the Davos forum, the German chancellor, Olaf Schölzjustified his refusal with the argument that “you have to prevent this from turning into a war between Russia and NATO“. Scholz further argued that Berlin does not want to make a decision alone, but accompanied by other partners, in particular the United States. In fact, the Germans have informally conditioned sending Leopards to Ukraine on Joe Biden doing the same with his tanks Abrams, something that Washington considers unfeasible.

In any case, the German Defense Minister assures that has commissioned his team to do an audit to determine the exact inventory of Leopard tanks in both the military and industry. According to Pistorius, this does not prejudge any decision but “just prepares for ‘just in case’.”

In his refusal to unblock the shipment of heavy main battle tanks to Ukraine, Scholz is quite isolated in the EU. The president of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyenis in favour, as is the President of the European Council, Charles-Michel. “I firmly believe that the tanks must be handed over. We want to support you because we are aware that the next few weeks can be decisive,” Michel told Zelensky during a visit to kyiv on Thursday.

“We have to give Ukraine the necessary weapons not only to repel, which is what they are doing, but also to retake territory. I think Ukraine needs the combat weapons and heavy tanks that it has asked for and some European countries are willing to deliver them. “, says the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell.

[Así es el Leopard 2, el potente tanque alemán que Ucrania necesita para “detener el mal”]

The Foreign Ministers of the Twenty-seven will approve on Monday to unlock a new tranche of 500 million euros to finance the delivery of weapons to kyiv, up to a total of 3,600 million.

The meeting in Ramstein began with a videoconference intervention by the Ukrainian president, who demanded a quick decision from the allies. “The war started by Russia does not allow delays. I can thank you hundreds of times, but hundreds of ‘thanks’ are not hundreds of tanks. We must speed up. Time must become our common weapon, just like air defense, artillery, armored vehicles and tanks. The Kremlin must lose“, Zelenski has asked, without success for the moment.

Also the Secretary of Defense of the United States, Lloyd Austin, appealed to the allies to speed up the delivery of arms. “This is a crucial moment. Russia is regrouping, recruiting and trying to re-equip. This is not a time to slow down. This is a time to go further,” he told the meeting. Biden announced Thursday a new military aid package to Ukraine worth 2.5 billion dollars.

For its part, the Kremlin warns that the delivery of heavy tanks to Ukraine would mean an escalation of the war. “We are seeing increasing indirect and sometimes direct involvement of NATO countries in this conflict.“, Vladimir Putin’s spokesman said on Friday. Moscow maintains that the arrival of Leopard 2 “will not change anything, but it will create more problems for Ukraine and the Ukrainians.”

The Leopard 2 tank, particularly the 2A4 and 2A5 variant, is used by 13 European armies. There are a large number of spare vehicles in stock, which could be delivered after a relatively short overhaul. Using the Leopard 2 to equip the Ukrainian armed forces would allow relatively rapid supply of significant numbers of tanks.

“There are no alternatives to the Leopard 2 tank available. The Leopard 2 is still in production, and major spare parts are interchangeable across all versions of the tank. This increases flexibility in managing spare parts and maintenance and would provide an unprecedented advantage for logistics in war-affected Ukraine,” explains Gustav Gressel, a researcher at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

“Russia is preparing for new offensives, so it is urgent to intensify support to allow Ukraine to win and retake the occupied territory,” warns the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg.