German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius meets with his US counterpart, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov at Ramstein Air Base on Friday. It followed days of negotiations between the US, other Western partners and Berlin that ended in anticlimax on Friday. Though Pistorius did announce a new $1.08 billion military aid package for Ukraine, Germany’s stance on the Leopard 2 tanks came as a disappointment to Ukraine’s military – at least for the time being. “As far as the delivery of the Leopard is concerned, there is no unanimous opinion,” Pistorius told reporters on the sidelines of a Ramstein meeting with NATO allies that was dominated by the issue of Leopards. Germany had been expected to announce a decision on sending Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine on Friday, but instead said it needed more time. Here’s what you need to know about the Leopard 2 tanks, the geopolitical squabbling around them, and why they’re so important to the war in Ukraine. Leopard 2 tanks are seen as a vital, modern military vehicle that would bolster Kyiv’s forces as the war with Russia approaches the one-year mark.īut Germany has batted back claims it is dragging its feet on providing military support to Ukraine, and has called on the US to send its own tanks across the Atlantic and into Ukraine. “Everyone understands the need is in and everyone understands the necessities and that is why there will be a decision soon, whatever it will be,” new German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told public broadcaster ARD on Sunday. On Friday, Germany failed to reach agreement with its key Western partners on sending the vehicles, ahead of a potential Russian spring offensive in Ukraine.īut countries are continuing to press the issue this week, while Poland is seeking to build its own coalition to help bolster Ukraine’s military with all-important Leopards.
Pressure is growing on Germany to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, with Kyiv stepping up its pleas and a spat brewing between Berlin and some of its NATO allies.
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