Germany's announcement it would send Leopard 2 main battle tanks (MBTs) to Ukraine has put it in a group of a dozen other countries which are reportedly prepared to give Kyiv armored vehicles.
Berlin said on Wednesday in a statement it would provide, "as a first step" 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks from Bundeswehr stocks with the aim of "quickly" assembling two tank battalions.
Ukrainian crews would be trained in Germany which would also provide logistics, ammunition and system maintenance.
The move followed "intensive consultations" among Germany's allies which took place as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz faced increasing pressure over a perceived reluctance to provide Kyiv with the tanks they say are essential to fight against Vladimir Putin's forces.
"This decision follows our well-known line of supporting Ukraine to the best of our ability," Scholz said according to a translation, "we are acting in a closely coordinated manner internationally."
The re-export of the German-made tanks requires Berlin's permission and so it was predicted that the green light from Berlin would lead to other countries following suit. There are 13 European armies that use Leopard 2s.
A senior Ukrainian official told ABC News that a coalition of 12 countries had pledged MBTs to Ukraine at last Friday's summit at Ramstein US Air Force Base in Germany of allied nations.
Poland has said it was prepared send to Kyiv 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks from its stock of around 250. Finland, which is not in NATO, but has requested to join the alliance, has publicly said it was willing to provide the MBTs, while ABC News reported that Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark were also willing to provide some of their tanks.
The Spanish newspaper El Pais reported Madrid would supply the tanks once Germany had agreed to supply the tanks, Spain will as well. Portugal is also reportedly getting ready to send Kyiv four Leopard 2 tanks.
Meanwhile, Norway is considering supplying Ukraine with up to eight Leopard 2s, out of its stock of 35, according to Norwegian publication Dagens Næringsliv.
On January 16, the United Kingdom said it would send Ukraine 14 Challenger 2 tanks while French President Emmanuel Macron said on January 22 he has not ruled out that France might send Kyiv its Leclerc tanks.
So far in the war, Warsaw has backfilled the Ukrainian armed forces with T-72s and Polish-made PT-91 tanks. Further T-72s were delivered by the Czech Republic and Bulgaria, according to the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).
Meanwhile, U.S. officials have said that President Joe Biden's administration will soon announce the decision to supply Ukraine with up to 30 M1A2 Abrams.
The provision of MBTs to Ukraine will help Ukraine "conduct mechanized warfare to defeat the Russian military and liberate Ukrainian territory," the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on Tuesday.
However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the prospect of the U.S. and Germany sending battle tanks to Ukraine "brings more tension to the continent. But it cannot prevent Russia from reaching our goals."
Russian ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Antonov previously told Newsweek that "American tanks without any doubt will be destroyed as all other samples of NATO military equipment."
Here is a list of the countries which have so far pledged tanks to Ukraine, or are reportedly considering to do so.
• Germany
• Finland (not in NATO)
• Poland
• Portugal
• Spain
• Netherlands
• Denmark
• Norway
• United States
• Czech Republic
• Bulgaria
• United Kingdom
• France
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Brendan Cole is a Newsweek Senior News Reporter based in London, UK. His focus is Russia and Ukraine, in particular ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
