Germany is increasingly concerned that its European allies will not provide Ukraine with enough Leopard 2 battle tanks to create two battalions, with an escalation in fighting predicted in the coming months.
(Bloomberg) — Germany is increasingly concerned that its European allies will not provide Ukraine with enough Leopard 2 battle tanks to create two battalions, with an escalation in fighting predicted in the coming months.
“The federal government expects that the promised Leopard deliveries will quickly be implemented,” said government spokesman Wolfgang Buechner in Berlin on Monday, referring to statements that several EU countries made earlier this year. Germany is currently in talks with these countries about their tank shipments, he added.
So far, these discussions have yielded little. Besides Germany, only Portugal has made a concrete offer to send the most advanced tanks, but has left open how many, a German official said under the condition of anonymity because the talks are confidential. While EU member states such as Denmark, Norway, Finland and the Netherlands have suggested that they might send the tanks, they so far haven’t made clear commitments.
On Wednesday, the German economy ministry approved the delivery of up to 178 older-generation Leopard 1 battle tanks. These tanks, which were first built in the 1960 but are no longer in production, will come from old stocks in Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands.
At least 100 of these old battle tanks are supposed to arrive in Ukraine in the next few months. A German official pointed out, however, that the Leopard 1 will only serve as a supplement and possible source of spare parts for the current Leopard 2 tanks, which are much faster and better armed, and could therefore be a game-changer in the war in Ukraine.
Earlier this year, Chancellor Olaf Scholz came under criticism from EU partners for his hesitation to deliver heavy tanks to Ukraine. On Jan. 25, he announced that Germany would send 14 state-of-the-art Leopard 2 A6s as part of a coordinated effort to provide two full battalions. They are expected to be shipped at the end of March.
Scholz justified his long decision-making process by saying he had to coordinate the mission with other allies. U.S. President Joe Biden agreed to send 31 Abrams tanks, but as they have to be built from scratch, that process will take more time.
The longer the EU conversation over tanks continues, the more likely it is to strain unity among member states, and the worse it is for Ukraine, which is expected to face a renewed Russian offensive in the coming months.
In the German army, a battalion consists of 44 battle tanks, while in Ukraine it’s only 31. It’s unclear which number Scholz had in mind when he announced his decision.
Poland has said it will deliver an older version of the tank, the A4, but will need spare parts from Germany. Those parts, however, are no longer in production.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius will meet his Polish counterpart in Warsaw on Wednesday. The ministers plan to discuss the Leopard issue, an official said, adding that both sides are working as quickly as possible to ensure that the tank deliveries happen.
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