Faced with accusations that Germany wasted vital time contemplating tanks for Ukraine, Germany put on a war show and rebuffed its critics.
Puma armored fighting vehicles raced through the freezing fog of the Altengrabow training base in eastern Germany and opened fire with 30mm live rounds at imaginary enemies. Watching from the back of one of them was the country’s new but energetic defense minister.
Boris Pistorius told Sky News he did not hesitate to send the Leopard 2 tanks on arrival. He insisted that there were only negotiations with Germany’s allies.
According to him, the Leopards will arrive there at the latest at the end of March. He added that the decision to send Europe’s lead battle tank would be a clear signal to Russia that Germany would not give in and would support Ukraine.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius talks with Bundeswehr soldiers during exercises.
This decision marks a fundamental change in the position of the West in this war. His policy of arming Ukrainians with enough weapons to fight but not enough to provoke a Russian escalation has failed. Russia still escalates the situation by mobilizing hundreds of thousands of men.
But the increase in the rate meant that the German complexes had overcome their military past. There are serious reservations here about sending battle tanks to a country deeply fearful of military aggression for obvious reasons, not least the shame of what German tanks did to the Russians in World War II.
Tank Leopard in 2017
Russian propaganda channels over the past 24 hours have been bursting with absurd claims about a new Nazi “Fourth Reich” and demands to attack and destroy Germany. For good reason, Germany was reluctant to take the lead with tanks and openly urged America to go first. Washington also resisted, but for different reasons.
Hence the negotiations that Pistorius spoke of. Washington and Berlin have now overcome these obstacles by agreeing to send tanks. This will be of great importance for the military potential of Ukraine. But it also sends a clear message to Vladimir Putin. The West will no longer be held back by German doubts.
Boris Pistorius told Sky News that Germany supports Ukraine
The war is escalating again. A year ago, Germany was pilloried for sending only helmets. Now he sends out one of his deadliest weapons and puts on a show of force. The West hopes this will keep Putin from worse, but its leaders are well aware that nothing they have done so far has convinced the Russian leader to change his mind.
