Germany has decided to send Ukraine 14 Leopard 2 tanks
The German government confirmed the decision to send 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. The decision was announced by Chancellor Scholz during a cabinet meeting on Wednesday morning.
Germany will also approve the export to the Ukrainian front of Leopard 2 tanks owned by other third countries, writes BBC News, quoted by Digi 24.
Yesterday in Berlin during a press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that he "expressly encouraged partner countries that have Leopard tanks ready for deployment to train Ukrainian forces on these tanks" .
And the Norwegian government is considering sending some of its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, sources in Oslo reported Tuesday evening. Norway, a NATO member country that borders Russia, may contribute four or eight of the country's 36 Leopard 2 tanks, according to Digi24.
Germany's decision to deliver Leopard tanks to Ukraine is the result of constructive discussions between Berlin and Washington, but it is not like a last chance to save Ukraine from Russian aggression - security expert Vitalie Marinuța told our radio station. According to him, after Germany, other countries will be able to deliver heavy equipment to Ukraine.
Ukraine urgently needs tanks, not promises, said the leader of Kyiv, Volodymyr Zelensky. The official reproaches the Westerners for thinking too much about whether or not to send weapons and heavy combat equipment to his country.
On the other hand, the Russian ambassador to the United States, Anatoli Antonov, mentions that the possible deliveries of US battle tanks to Ukraine will be "another blatant provocation" against Russia. According to the official, "If the United States decides to supply tanks, then justifying such a step with arguments about "defensive weapons" will certainly not work. This would be another blatant provocation against the Russian Federation."
