Scholz ready to deliver battle tanks – on one condition
Most recently, however, the pressure from the partners in the traffic light coalition had increased. The Chancellor is now open to supplying "Leopard 2" battle tanks to Ukraine. Under one condition.
According to information from the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is apparently ready to deliver Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, but on one condition. In a telephone call with US President Joe Biden on Tuesday, Scholz made it clear that Germany could only give in to the pressure to deliver if the US in turn delivered Abrams-type main battle tanks.
Scholz has always emphasized that Germany will not go it alone when it comes to providing military support to Ukraine. Biden apparently did not commit himself to the conversation. The USA apparently demands that the Chancellery not only allow other countries to supply Leopard 2 main battle tanks, but also deliver some itself if it is involved in such a main battle tank delivery. This Friday, a meeting of the Ukraine contact group will take place in Ramstein at the invitation of the USA. The new Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) will take part on behalf of Germany. It is not yet clear whether there will be an agreement. Most recently, the pressure on Germany from other EU countries had increased significantly, since the Leopard tanks were German-made and Berlin therefore had to give its approval for each delivery.
Defense politicians in the SPD also expect an early agreement on the issue. It is seen with concern that Russia could be planning new offensives. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Scholz kept a low profile in public. Germany is already supplying Ukraine "in coordination with our partners on a continuous basis in large quantities - including anti-aircraft systems such as Iris-T or Patriot, artillery pieces and armored personnel carriers." This is part of a far-reaching turning point in German foreign and security policy. For the war to end, "Russia's aggression must fail," said Chancellor Scholz. Above all, the G-7 countries would support Ukraine "financially, economically, humanitarianly and militarily" for as long as it was necessary.
archived 18 Jan 2023 19:32:09 UTC
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