Representational image. AFP
New Delhi: Until the US sends its Abrams tanks to Ukraine, Germany will neither send its own Leopard 2 tanks, nor allow its allies to ship the German-made tanks from their stocks to Ukraine, German officials said on Wednesday.
NATO allies have over 2,000 Leopard tanks. Several of these allies like Poland, Denmark and Finland have expressed their readiness to send these tanks from their stocks to Ukraine. But that would require approval from Berlin.
Germany has the veto power on exports of Leopards, believed to be the best suited for Ukraine, fielded by NATO allies across Europe.
“One can’t differentiate between direct exports (of German-made tanks) and exports by third countries,” a senior German was quoted as saying by the Washington Post.
But why is Germany holding back?
Ever since the beginning of the war in Ukraine on February 24, 2020, NATO and the US have criticised the Russian invasion and committed to backing Ukraine with the resources it needs to defend itself, but they have also been very careful not to turn it into a direct confrontation with Russia.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, said, “The Ukrainians can rely on our support in their courageous fight but it is also clear that we want to avoid this becoming a war between Russia and NATO, told the World Economic Forum in Davos when asked about the tanks.
It’s not just the fear of slipping into a direct confrontation but also the fear of further escalating the conflict that has handcuffed the western countries.
The Kremlin in December warned that increasing the US supply of weapons to Ukraine would only further escalate the situation.
The question of exporting Leopards to Ukraine is subject to intense debate within Germany as well.
Scholz’s ruling coalition of three parties is split on the issue. While The Greens and Free Democrats are in favour of sending tanks to Ukraine immediately, the chancellor’s Social Democrats are hesitant to do so.
Germany doesn’t have the tanks ready to send
Even if Germany were to approve the export of tanks immediately, it can’t send them to Ukraine until next year.
“Even if the decision is made tomorrow to allow us to send our Leopard tanks to Kyiv, the delivery will take until early next year,” Armin Papperger, CEO of German defence contractor Rheinmetall, was quoted as saying in an Anadolu Agency report.
The defence company still has 22 vehicles of the Leopard 2 and 88 of the Leopard 1, according to the CEO. But these can’t be repaired to be readied to be sent for combat until the company is contracted to do so, which will only happen once Germany green-lights the export.
“But we can’t repair these tanks without a contract, because the costs are several hundred million euros. Rheinmetall cannot pre-finance that”, Papperger said.
Why is the US not sending ABRAMS to Ukraine?
Ukraine has long pressed the US for ABRAMS. Ukraine’s defence minister Aleksey Reznikov told Politico in October that getting these tanks has long been his goal.
But a Senior Pentagon official on Wednesday said that it was due to difficulties in maintenance and training.
“I just don’t think we’re there yet,” US Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl told journalists when asked about providing the tanks to Ukraine.
“The Abrams tank is a very complicated piece of equipment. It’s expensive, it’s hard to train on, it has a jet engine — I think it’s about three gallons to the mile with jet fuel. It is not the easiest system to maintain,” Kahl said.
He added that the US defence chief Lloyd Austin was avoiding providing Ukraine with weapon systems it “can’t repair, can’t sustain and over the long term can’t afford because it’s not helpful.”
With input from agencies
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