After months of debate German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has now apparently decided to deliver modern Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine after all. This was reported on Tuesday evening by Spiegel and NTV and the German news agency dpa.
According to this, at least one company of Leopard 2A6s from Germany is to go to Ukraine. The allies apparently also want to join in. According to Ukrainian sources, Kiev has already received commitments from twelve countries to provide a total of 100 Leopard 2s and, according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung the USA is also considering the delivery of Abrams battle tanks.
Strack-Zimmermann welcomes Leopard decision
The Chair of the Defense Committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, has welcomed the decision. “The decision was tough, it took far too long, but in the end it is unavoidable. The fact that Germany has approved the delivery of its Leopard 2 tank by partner countries and is also delivering it itself is redemptive news for the battered and brave Ukrainian people,” said Strack-Zimmermann on Tuesday in Berlin. The decision meant “an important step in pushing back Russia’s brutal attack on an innocent country”. “With the huge amount of help that Germany has already provided in recent months and will continue to provide with its partners, a decisive step has been taken today on the path back to peace and freedom. We will not let up in these efforts until this path has been completed,” said Strack-Zimmermann. The decision now taken by Chancellor Scholz is probably primarily due to the recent increased pressure, particularly from Poland, to supply to deliver tanks. A non-delivery would also have had serious foreign and security policy consequences for the German government, especially in the event of a possible defeat of Ukraine. https://militaeraktuell.at/wo-sind-die-10-000-russischen-panzer/ Technical and training-related aspects
It will be interesting to see how Ukraine – the army has primarily used old Soviet tanks to date – now copes with the modern vehicles and their automatic loading system. It will also be interesting to see how long it takes to familiarize drivers, commanders and personnel who were previously deployed on Soviet tanks with the “Leos” – and the same applies to the technicians. In contrast to the systems previously operated by Ukraine, the crew of the Leopard 2 also includes a gunner, which means that the corresponding training has to start “from scratch”. The Ukrainians have also quickly learned to master the equipment previously supplied from the West, but how long will it take in this specific case? An answer will probably be possible in just a few months.
