Status: 01/18/2023 11:49 am
In the afternoon, Chancellor Scholz will speak at the World Economic Forum in Davos. He is expected to comment on the debate over German “Leopard” main battle tanks for Ukraine. The call for it is getting louder and louder.
It is the question that Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) cannot avoid: does Germany deliver the main battle tanks “Leopard” to Ukraine – or at least allow other states to deliver the “Leopard”? The subject is hovering over the World Economic Forum in Davos, where a speech by Scholz is scheduled for the afternoon. Andrzej Duda, president of key ally Poland, has already lobbied in Davos. Chancellor Scholz “will make this much-needed decision,” Duda said confidently. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, another NATO partner, made a similar statement.
In Germany, too, there are a growing number of voices calling for the “Leopard” to be delivered quickly. Green faction deputy politician and supporter Agnieszka Brugger told media agency Table.Media: “Anyone who can agree to hand over ‘Mardern’ can also hand over ‘Leopard’ tanks.”
According to Brugger party leader Omid Nouripour, a handover “has already been verified” and is possible. Nouripour was unable to pinpoint a possible date for a decision on the tank issue for Welt television station. From the opposition, the trade union faction presses for the delivery.
“Expectations are very high”, Rainald Becker, ARD Geneva, now Davos, on Scholz’s expected speech at the world economic summit
Tagesschau 12:00, 18.01.2023
Bundeswehr stock delivery conceivable
Apparently, there is still debate about where the German tanks could come from. According to a report by “FAZ”, the armament group Rheinmetall may still complete the new “Leopard” this year. The company manufactures the tank together with Krauss-Maffei Wegmann. Until now, Rheinmetall had stated that delivery would be possible in 2024 at the earliest.
Military experts consider another variant more likely. Former Bundeswehr general Hans-Lothar Domröse told newspapers of the Funke media group that he expected the federal government to release “Leopards” from the Bundeswehr’s inventory. Domröse speculated about a number “in the low two-digit range”. In total, about 100 “Leopard” tanks could be delivered to Ukraine from Europe.
Germany in the lead?
Former army inspector Bruno Kasdorf believes releasing Bundeswehr stocks would pose more problems for Scholz and Pistorius. “I know there is a squeeze on the troops when they have to deliver more material to Ukraine,” Kasdorf told the Germany editorial network. However, it is obvious that Germany must now “get involved because we, as a producing country, have to issue export licenses”. Battle tanks are now urgently needed in Ukraine.
The head of the Munich Security Conference, Christoph Heusgen, called for a leading role for Germany in tank deliveries. “We have to move on – and now we have to deliver the ‘Leopard 2’ in the convoy,” Heusgen told ZDF. Scholz’s previous attempts to “get Russian President Vladimir Putin to cave” were unsuccessful. “Now is the time to show resistance,” said Heusgen.
Defense ministers meet in Ramstein on Friday
A European alliance is being formed to supply Ukraine with main battle tanks. Great Britain wants to send several “Challengers”. Poland also announced that it will deliver “Leopard” tanks to Ukraine along with other countries. According to a Polish military expert, there were probably 14 tanks. Finland has also signaled such a disposition.
Even without its own supply, Germany plays a key role in the debate because the tanks were developed in Germany. As a rule, the transfer of German-made weapons to third parties must be approved.
In addition to Davos, the issue sets the agenda for a meeting of several defense ministers at the US base at Ramstein on Friday. Ukraine’s western allies want to discuss how to proceed here – and how to coordinate the tanks. For Scholz’s new defense minister, Boris Pistorius (SPD), it will be the first international test.
Biden’s call does not bring a decision
A phone call between Chancellor Scholz and US President Biden on Tuesday night did not provide information about new weapons deliveries. The federal government then announced that “sustainable” support for Ukraine had been discussed. Scholz and Biden agreed that support “must be effective, sustainable and closely coordinated”. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized that deliveries of weapons such as “Leopard” tanks are always “sovereign decisions” “that each country makes for itself.”
When Scholz announced in early January that he was making the Marder infantry fighting vehicle available to Ukraine, he and Biden had spoken on the phone earlier.