Great pressure on Germany to send tanks

First Germany sent anti-aircraft artillery named Gepard, then combat vehicles named Mård, and now expectations are rising for the next piece in the German army’s menagerie – the Leopard 2 tank. Useful tank in the world. The Swedish Armed Forces tank 122 is a modified variant of the Panther.

During Friday, the defense ministers of the countries providing arms assistance to Ukraine will meet at the US military base Ramstein in West Germany. Ukraine and many NATO allies hope that Germany’s newly appointed defense minister, Boris Pistorius, will also approve Leopard tanks. Recent critics of Berlin’s reluctance include Poland’s prime minister and Estonia’s foreign minister. Several European countries have leopards they want to donate to Ukraine, but are waiting for permission from the manufacturer, Germany.

The British decision opened the door to heavy offensive weapons

President Olaf Scholes has so far resisted the demands, citing the fact that his country does not want to go ahead with just breaking limits on how much heavy weapons the West can send to Ukraine. But with Britain announcing earlier in the week that it would send 14 tanks of the Challenger 2 model, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the German government, and above all the Social Democrats, the SPD, to say it will go it alone.

According to a government source in Berlin who spoke to Reuters, the German government could consider supplying the tanks if the United States did the same. The American equivalent of the Leopard is called an Abrams and is powered by a gas turbine engine. It is expensive and requires a lot of training. The US has not yet presented any plans to deliver Abrams to Ukraine.

In Germany, the proposal to send tanks to Ukraine has more supporters than opponents. In addition to the Christian Democratic opposition parties CDU and CSU, the ruling parties, the liberal FDP and the Greens, are ready to follow the UK and offer the German Leopard.