Der Spiegel: Germany's NATO allies are in no hurry to transfer their Leopards to Kyiv
NATO allies pressured Germany to quickly hand over Leopard tanks to Kyiv. But after Berlin made this decision, the partners are delaying confirmation of their participation in the creation of tank battalions for Ukraine, the German magazine Der Spiegel reported on February 4.
The delay on the part of the allies puts Germany in an awkward position, the PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
The German government has launched a “diplomatic offensive” to transfer Leopard tanks to Kyiv, which will allow the creation of two tank battalions. According to information received by the editors of the publication, both the office of the German Chancellor and the German Ministry of Defense have doubts that these plans will be implemented. The reason is the lack of confirmation from Berlin’s European partners that they will supply the required number of tanks.
According to Der Spiegel, during a video conference held this week at the initiative of German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, not a single country wanted to confirm its readiness to transfer modern Leopard 2 A6 tanks. “Even the government of the Netherlands, which had previously publicly promised to supply them, refused to confirm its participation,” note the authors of the material.
The delay on the part of the partners puts Germany in an awkward position, the publication notes. Before announcing the creation of two Leopard battalions for Kyiv, the German government briefly discussed this with some NATO partners, but did not request any specific confirmation or written statements.
Currently, according to the German side, those partners who most loudly demanded the supply of German Leopards are avoiding clear obligations. Chancellor Olaf Scholz may be confirmed in his suspicions that calls from other countries were aimed only at “hurrying up” the Germans.
So far, no country has confirmed its participation. According to Der Spiegel, Chancellor Scholz held telephone conversations with the heads of government of the three countries earlier this week. Some German officials involved in the project see its future as bleak. “The Leopards donated by the Bundeswehr will be the only tanks that will actually be ready for combat with trained personnel at the end of March,” said the expert, who wished to remain anonymous. Berlin wants to begin training Ukrainian crews in a week, the publication notes.
According to Der Spiegel, the creation of a second battalion from older A4 leopards is also facing difficulties. “Poland has promised to provide more than a dozen Leopard 2 A4s, but does not want to offer either training or spare parts, which would be essential for combat use,” the German publication writes. Other countries that were supposed to participate have not yet confirmed or have confirmed a very small number of tanks, it notes.
According to the authors of Der Spiegel, Chancellor Scholz is playing for high stakes. The head of the German government has been criticized for several months as a “slowdown” on the issue of “Leopards” for Kyiv. Now he faces accusations that he did not properly prepare his decision on the transfer of tanks. “If plans to create battalions fail, the blame will again fall on Berlin,” an unnamed German Defense Ministry spokesman told reporters.
Как reported PolitNavigator, Kyiv may receive the first Leopard tanks as early as April.
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