Germany is sending Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, a move that marks an important breakthrough in western efforts to strengthen Kyiv’s fight against the Russian army.
A person familiar with the matter confirmed that Germany would send the tanks, although he did not say how many or what type they were considering.
“I’m just blissfully happy that after all the hesitation and delay, Germany has finally made this truly historic decision,” said Andrii Melnyk, Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine and former ambassador to Berlin. “We are now asking all Western allies to create a powerful tank coalition that will help us push back the Russian invaders in early spring.”
A report in German news outlet Spiegel Online, which first reported the move, said Berlin would send at least a company of Leopard 2A6s, usually about 14 tanks. He said it would come from the stock of the Bundeswehr, the German army.
Berlin also gave the green light to Warsaw’s request to send some Polish Leopards to Ukraine. A senior Polish official confirmed the decision to allow the export of Leopard 2s to Ukraine.
The decision to send the tanks marked a significant policy change for Germany. Olaf Scholz has long hesitated to provide Ukraine with heavy armor, fearing that it will increase the risk of direct confrontation between Russia and NATO.
He also emphasized that Germany will never go it alone when it comes to tanks, stressing that it works in lockstep with its allies, especially the US.
However, the clamor for tanks has become impossible to ignore. The front line in the war has barely budged in the past few weeks and Kyiv said western tanks will help to regain the initiative and reconquer the occupied territories. It also says they need it to prevent a renewed Russian offensive that is widely expected in early spring.
Anton Hofreiter, a senior Green lawmaker who has often accused Scholz of being too cautious about arms supplies to Ukraine, welcomed the chancellor’s move. “The decision is late but not too late,” he said. “This will allow Ukraine to effectively defend itself against Russian invasion and control of its territory.”
Relations between Berlin and Washington were strained last week after several media reported Scholz saying Germany would not send tanks to Ukraine unless the US did the same. German officials later denied the “connection”.
However, recent developments indicate that, after several days of intensive consultation, the US and Germany have agreed to act in a tank concert. This would reflect a similar move by the two countries in early January, when they announced that they would supply Ukraine with infantry fighting vehicles – the US Bradley and the German Marders.
Two US officials on Tuesday said Washington is actively considering sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine, after previously being skeptical of the move due to logistical and training challenges.
The Biden administration is under pressure from Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill to send the Abrams in an effort to break German resistance to sending its own tanks. The White House and the Pentagon declined to comment.
By insisting that the US and Germany act together, “the chancellor has ensured that they will share the risk”, said Carlo Masala, a political scientist at the Bundeswehr university in Munich. “If there is a Russian counter-reaction, the Americans will join NATO’s reaction because they will be directly affected.”
Pressure on Scholz to rethink his position on tanks has been increasing in recent weeks, but reached a peak on Friday last week after a meeting of western defense officials at the US Ramstein airbase in western Germany called for increased military aid.
Germany is expected to announce at Ramstein that it will send tanks to Kyiv, or at least allow others to do so. Scholz has the power to grant or withhold permission for 13 countries across Europe that use the Leopard 2 to re-export. However, the meeting failed to yield a breakthrough.
Scholz then faced criticism from Germany’s allies, especially in eastern Europe and the Baltics, who urged him to show leadership. Poland, which wants to form a coalition of countries prepared to share the stock of Leopards with Ukraine, has been particularly vocal in the question of sending heavy armor.
Pressure is also coming from Scholz’s coalition partners, the Greens and the liberals, who have publicly criticized him for failing to give the green light for the supply of tanks, held by the Bundeswehr and its German allies.
But there was relief on Tuesday night for the news of the decision of the tank, which some say could quickly end the war. “Only when Vladimir Putin realizes that he cannot win the war will he be ready to negotiate,” Hofreiter said. “Only then will there be permanent peace.”
Shortly before news of Scholz’s move to the Leopards first broke, Russia warned of unspecified consequences if the west supplied tanks to Ukraine. “Relations are at a low point and there are no signs of substantive dialogue with Germany and other European Union and NATO countries,” said Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, according to Interfax.
“This stock doesn’t mean anything good for the future of the relationship. It will definitely leave an indelible mark,” he said.
Additional reporting by Barbara Erling in Warsaw and Max Seddon in Riga