Maneuvers ahead of the third summit of more than 40 arms suppliers to Zelenskyy on January 20 at the Ramstein German base
US, French and Polish diplomacy is increasing pressure on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to give the green light for the delivery of Leopard tanks to the Ukrainian army. At the same time, the international political maneuvers are also affecting Italy. Kyiv urges the government of Giorgia Meloni and French President Emmanuel Macron to send the “Samp-T” air defense system. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov will officially hand over the “shopping list” to Volodymyr Zelenskyy on January 20 at the German base in Ramstein at the third summit of more than 40 arms suppliers.
As always since the beginning of the war, the summit was convened by Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin. So the first step affects Germany. The Ukrainians want at least 80 Leopards, which are among the most efficient tanks (if not the best overall) available on the market today, especially in the updated version (Leopard 2). These days the Sherpas of the different delegations are working hard.
There are many hypotheses, but we can try to outline them. Polish President Andrzey Duda has put forward a proposal to form an “international coalition” between countries willing to supply the tanks. In this way, Chancellor Scholz’s resistance could be overcome, because Germany would not be alone in facing possible reprisals from Moscow.
However, be careful with the technical details, because they also have a political value for Italy. If we talk about the “Leopard 2”, the most refined, Italy is not there, simply because it does not have one. In this case, the “coalition” could include Spain, Greece, Denmark and Finland in addition to Germany and Poland. However, Italy has «Leopard 1s» and could therefore come into play if Ramstein decides to bet on this version of the German-built crawler.
The other issue is air defense. Kyiv insists: give us the Samp-T surface-to-air missile system, developed by the Italians and the French. Rome and Paris are considering sending a single battery currently stationed in the Fourth Artillery Regiment of Peschiera (Verona). A shield that alone would be enough to protect Kyiv, with greater effectiveness than that guaranteed by American Patriot missiles. However, there are practical necessities. It would take at least two to three weeks to disassemble and load onto a cargo plane bound for Ukraine. It would also take at least another three to four weeks to train Ukrainians on it. After all, the “Samp-T” could not be deployed before mid-March.
Therefore, another solution is being considered. Italy could hand over the anti-aircraft blockade to an eastern country, Romania or maybe even Poland, which in turn would fire more Patriot missiles at Zelenskyy. Of course, the two decisions would have different political weight. Delivery of the Samp-T directly to Ukraine would mark another leap in Franco-Italian involvement in the conflict. The discussion is still open both within the Italian governing coalition and among the European allies.
January 13, 2023 (change January 13, 2023 | 08:40)
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