Germany is inspecting its myriad of aging military and infantry vehicles to assess needed maintenance so that Ukraine may utilize them in its efforts to deter Russian advances. According to Reuters, the possibility of Germany sending such heavy weaponry was confirmed by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
As the war in Ukraine progresses, weapons and equipment are paramount. According to The Guardian, Kyiv worked with Germany on a list of offensive weapons it felt was necessary for its pursuit to stave off Russian attacks.
The items on the list included armored Boxer transport vehicles, the Panzerhaubitze (PzH) 2000 artillery system, and the Leopard 2 battle tank, manufactured in Munich by defense company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann. According to the Business Insider, the Leopard 2, first developed in 1979, is Europe’s best military tank.
After considering the “support options industry” list, Germany consolidated the forty-eight-page request and submitted it back to the Ukrainian government at twenty-four pages. The revised document granted three of the fifteen items Kyiv requested. The Ukrainian government sent two follow-up requests on April 9 and April 16; purportedly, the German government ignored these requests.
Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz says Germany is doing all it can to assist Ukraine as they withstand Russian assault. Ukrainian diplomats disagree and accuse Berlin of stalling on arms shipments to avoid provoking Putin.
According to Reuters, Prime Minister Baerbock addressed the supposed snub as allies criticized Germany’s lack of urgency.
Baerbock made a statement at a news conference regarding the issue, stating, “There are no taboos for us with regard to armored vehicles and other weaponry that Ukraine needs.”
As Ukraine attempts to mount a successful offensive, its previous tactics have worked, but more advanced and heavy weaponry is needed to stop Russia as the war intensifies.
Baerbock said that Germany prioritized providing Soviet-designed kits to Ukraine that its military could use without extra training. She explained that her country was backfilling the stocks of allies who had weaponry to spare with modern German-made gear.
For example, a Berlin source shared with Reuters that Slovenia is a part of the exchange. Slovenia will supply its T-72 tanks to Ukraine, while Berlin will supply the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana, with twenty Marder infantry fighting vehicles and twenty Fuchs armored personnel carriers in return.
Journalists pressed Baerbock to divulge whether Germany would send the Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Baerbock said that Ukrainian troops would need training to utilize the advanced tank and that Berlin would finance the training.
She continued with this sentiment, stating that Germany is committing 1 billion euros to Ukraine to fund various needs. According to Baerbock, the plan is to provide aid not just for immediate needs but for future needs as well.