Under the influence of political pressure, Germany is making a powerful mental switch in the context of the war in Ukraine. It is a matter of time, maybe hours, maybe days, when Germany will announce the transfer of leopards to Ukraine – Deputy Minister of National Defense Marcin Ociepa said in WP.PL on Wednesday.
According to information provided by the portal of the weekly magazine “Spiegel” on Tuesday, Germany is going to supply Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. At least one company of Leopard 2A6 tanks is at stake. According to information from “Spiegel”, German Leopard tanks are said to come from the sources of the Bundeswehr.
Abrams for Ukraine
Also on Tuesday afternoon, the Wall Street Journal reported that the US was considering supplying Abrams tanks. Earlier, the German government made the transfer of its tanks to Ukraine dependent on the supply of Abrams by the US.
Referring to these reports, the deputy defense minister on WP.PL on Wednesday said he believed “it’s a matter of time, maybe hours, maybe days, when Germany will announce it.” Ociepa said the pressure on the Germans makes sense because in the beginning they sent helmets and field hospitals, then heavier equipment, and now there’s an opportunity for leopards.
We are the instigators of the political pressure on the Federal Republic of Germany from the very beginning of this war, together with the countries of our region, and it is extremely important that Germany, under the influence of this political pressure, make a powerful mental change
said Ociepa.
He emphasized that according to labor law, the consent of Germany, as the manufacturer of this equipment, is required to hand over the leopards to the armies of other countries, but he cannot imagine that “Germany would oppose it”.
The deputy head of the Ministry of National Defense stressed that today European countries are able to “generate” 100 tanks “without much effort” together with the US and perhaps Canada to supply to Ukraine. He added that he hoped the Germans would also donate their equipment.
Every day’s delay is a mortal sin against the defenders of Ukraine, it costs these people their lives, which is why it is extremely important for Europe to pass this test.
observed Ociepa.
Last Friday, a meeting of the Contact Group on Defense Assistance to Ukraine was held at the US base in Ramstein. However, it did not bring a solution in the form of Germany’s consent to the transfer of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine – which Ukraine had hoped for before the meeting. Since the leopards are manufactured by Germany, permission from Germany is required to transfer them to another non-NATO country.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told PAP this weekend that if Germany does not agree to transfer Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, Poland will form a “smaller coalition” of countries willing to donate some of their modern tanks to a fighting neighbor.
Germany’s head of diplomacy, Annalena Baerbock, said on Sunday that the question from Poland about the leopards has not been asked so far, but that Germany would not stand in the way if it were asked. Deputy Prime Minister, Head of the Ministry of National Defense Mariusz Błaszczak announced on Tuesday that Germany had already received Poland’s request for permission to transfer Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
Pistorius encourages training
Also on Tuesday, at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius encouraged partner nations to begin training military personnel from Ukraine on Leopard tanks. Pistorius also said he expected a decision “soon” on the supply of Leopard tanks to Ukraine.
On January 11, President Andrzej Duda announced in Lviv that Poland had decided to transfer a company of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine as part of building an international coalition on the issue. As he emphasized: “We especially want it to be an international coalition.”
The Leopard 2 is a main battle tank produced by the German concern Krauss-Maffei Wegmann. The first versions entered the equipment of the German army in 1979-1980; new versions of the vehicles have been made since then. Currently, Leopard 2s are used by many European countries, including Germany, Poland, Turkey, Spain, Greece, Denmark and Norway, as well as non-NATO countries – for example, Sweden, Finland, Austria and Switzerland.
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gah/PAP
Source: wPolityce
Emma Matthew is a political analyst for “Social Bites”. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of government and a passion for politics, she provides insightful and informative coverage of the latest political developments.