Months of debate preceded it, but the time has come: Germany itself supplies the coveted Leopard tanks and, as a manufacturer, also gives other countries permission to supply them.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has just confirmed this in a brief statement. “The training of the Ukrainian crews is starting quickly in Germany. In addition to training, the package also includes logistics, ammunition and system maintenance,” writes Scholz. He will further explain his decision this afternoon in a speech to the German parliament.
The conditions set by the Germans for the delivery are crystal clear: other major countries must also supply tanks, including America and France. The Americans would send about thirty of their best main battle tanks, reports The New York Times.
Heavily armored and very modern
Germany is initially sending 14 Leopard 2A6 assault tanks, plus a Leopard 2 recovery tank capable of towing heavy vehicles. The fifteen tanks together form a company. The Leopard 2A6 is a heavily armored and very modern main battle tank suitable for both defense and attack. The 60 ton tanks have a 120mm gun at their disposal with which targets can be hit with great precision from more than 4 kilometers away.
“This is the only weapon that can take out other tanks at such a long distance in all weather conditions and any type of terrain,” said Mart de Kruif, former commander of the land forces. “And if the Russians attack, they will attack with tanks. It’s as simple as that. I sometimes say: tanks are both your striker and your last man.”
‘War will soon be decided’
The fact that Germany now comes across the bridge with fourteen assault tanks is not much in itself, says De Kruif. Especially since the commander of the Ukrainian armed forces has said that he needs a total of 300 Western tanks and 700 combat vehicles to drive the Russians out of Ukraine.
“So you have to think in totals,” says De Kruif. “The war will be decided in the coming months. So you try to get everything you have together and tanks are a crucial weapon. I think Ukraine is coming pretty close thanks to the supply of different types of tanks from other countries.”
Dutch tanks
The German permission for the onward delivery of tanks is of great importance in this regard. Neighboring countries Poland and Lithuania, which bought their Leopard tanks from Germany, have long been eager to supply them and are convinced that they are needed to ‘stop Russian aggression’. Finland, Denmark, Portugal and the Netherlands – which lease eighteen Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks from Germany – would also be willing to supply.
The Netherlands would have already offered those eighteen tanks. “We leased them, which means that we can buy them and we can donate them,” Prime Minister Mark Rutte told RTL Nieuws. Rutte said he had a lot of understanding for the Ukrainian request, but that it was up to the Germans to decide.
“If the Americans do indeed come across the bridge with their M1 Abrams tanks, then Chancellor Scholz has played well,” says correspondent Jeroen Akkerman. “He didn’t want to be alone anyway and he now seems to have succeeded thanks to the coalition of countries that supply tanks. Germany is not alone.”
‘Germany stands up’
The latter is understandable from a German point of view. The country is the second largest supplier of weapons to Ukraine after the US. If the Leopards make a breakthrough at the front, the country itself does not want to become the target of Russia’s frustration and potential aggression. The Kremlin reacted angrily to the delivery of British Challenger 2 tanks, calling the delivery of Leopards a “shameless provocation.”
In addition, Germany is still struggling with its war past. Within the country, only a small majority is in favor of supplying the Leopards. “The Germans would like to be known as peacemakers, but now they cannot stand by and see a country that is under attack being chopped to pieces,” says Akkermans. “Moreover, with human rights violations and, above all, a lot of war crimes. Do you want to watch? It doesn’t work that way in a war. The Germans still have to get used to it. But they are standing up now. This is no longer stooping.”
