Germany's defense minister said his government has not yet decided whether to send German-made battle tanks to Ukraine, but signaled the country hadn't ruled out the option.
German weapons companies manufacture the Leopard 2, and the German government legally has the final say over how and where the tanks are used, even when other countries are offering to export them. When asked about giving approval to another country like Poland to deliver its Leopard tanks to Ukraine, German Defense Minister Pistorius said it was not his decision and that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz holds the export license.
Pistorius added that the impression that Germany is blocking such a decision is wrong.Scholz has repeatedly refused to give the go-ahead for his country or others to export Leopard tanks to Ukraine, saying Western tanks should only be supplied to Kyiv if there is agreement among key allies. Berlin is also hesitant to supply arms that would enable Kyiv to carry out attacks on Russian soil or that could potentially draw NATO into a broader conflict with Moscow. Scholz has asserted throughout the more than 10-month Russian invasion of Ukraine that Germany is already"Germany will not go it alone, Germany will act together with its allies and especially with our transatlantic partner, the U.S. Anything else would be irresponsible in such a dangerous situation,"Some of the German public is warming to the idea For months, public opinion in Germany has backed up Scholz's refusal to send heavy weaponry to Ukraine. But according to thefrom this week, German public support for supplying battle tanks to Ukraine grew to its highest level ever: 46% of those polled are in favor of delivering Leopard tanks and the same percentage is against it. Meanwhile, the defense ministers of Estonia, the United Kingdom, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as representatives from Denmark, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Slovakia also met on Thursday"to reaffirm our continued determination and resolve to supporting Ukraine in their heroic resistance against the illegal and unprovoked Russian aggression,"The group, having formed the"Tallinn Pledge," committed to"collectively pursuing delivery of an unprecedented set of donations including main battle tanks, heavy artillery, air defence, ammunition, and infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine's defence," the statement said. On Friday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov repeated warnings that additional Western arms merely prolonged Ukraine's suffering — and said deepening Western military aid risked an""We see a devotion to the dramatic delusion that Ukraine can succeed on the battlefield," ."This is a dramatic delusion of the Western community that will more than once be cause for regret. We are sure of that."Rob Schmitz is NPR's international correspondent based in Berlin, where he covers the human stories of a vast region reckoning with its past while it tries to guide the world toward a brighter future. From his base in the heart of Europe, Schmitz has covered Germany's levelheaded management of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise of right-wing nationalist politics in Poland and creeping Chinese government influence inside the Czech Republic.Keep up with all the latest news, arts and culture, and TV highlights from KPBS.
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