The back and forth to send the Leopard 2 to Kyiv is dragging on and on at the External Council in Brussels, where the 27 heads of EU diplomacy met for the first meeting in 2023.
The Ukrainian Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who is mainly supported by Poland, reiterated the line of the last few days: Give us the tanks. Even more clearly, on Telegram, the head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak: “We need hundreds of tanks, not ten or twenty”. because The aim is to recapture all occupied territories, including Crimea.
Knowing this, Moscow is raising the bar by taking advantage of the risk of a “world war” in the hope of influencing the decisions of an issue-sensitive Berlin. The Kremlin has reiterated that whoever supplies the tanks must take responsibility. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that the war between Russia and the West is now “not a hybrid” but “almost real”. The former great Dmitry Medvedev, who has reinvented himself as a super hawk since the conflict broke out, has followed up in his usual apocalyptic style: “World nears risk of WWIII amid aggressive preparations against Russia”.
Of course, because the areas occupied after the sham referendums in Ukraine are de jure part of Russia in Moscow’s eyes and a counteroffensive by Kiev would therefore be seen as a violation of the country’s borders. Here because Germany is very careful with tanks. “It’s a complex issue and it’s important that we talk to each other confidentially, it takes time,” said German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit, stressing that it’s better “to think carefully before taking steps that will later trigger bitter regrets could”.
But there are those who push. That is much. Like Warsaw. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has announced that he will formally ask Germany for permission to ship some of his Leopards to Ukraine, as German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has indicated she intends to grant permission. But that was yesterday in Paris. Arriving at the Council in Brussels, she showed more caution and called for the need for “joint interventions by international partners”. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will fly to Berlin tomorrow to meet new Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and it is clear that the issue will be discussed. Also because Warsaw threatens to want to continue anyway if Germany would resist and forms a small coalition of willing (and leopard-holders).
In short, there is a risk of a serious schism in harmony between NATO allies, and all of this can only cause concern in both Brussels and Washington (Minister Antonio Tajani for his part, he clarified that Italy is not part of this debate and is focused on the delivery of air defense systems).
The High Representative for EU Foreign Policy, Joseph Borrell, confirmed that there were different positions within the EU regarding the sending of tanks to Ukraine, noting that Germany still reiterated its intention not to get in each other’s way. “But I would advise not paying too much attention to this discussion of tanks. Ramstein has shown the partners’ clear will to help Ukraine militarily, and the results have been very good in terms of the funds offered,” Borrell said.
ANSA agency
Federal Minister Baerbock: “Ready to authorize Poland to send leopards to Ukraine” (ANSA)
For its part, the European Union today gave the political go-ahead for a new tranche of 500 million euros in military aid through the European Peace Facility (EPF) and another 45 million for training Ukrainian soldiers through the mission launched last year. But the attention is so great because Kyiv is pushing. “The last half step still has to be taken: we already have the British challengers, we’ve heard that France is evaluating the supply of the Leclercs and I have no doubt that we are in the final stages with the Leopards,” said Kuleba .
ANSA agency
The group of Baltic countries, together with Poland, is confirmed as the front line in the confrontation with Russia. Moscow has expelled the Estonian ambassador from the country, accusing him of pursuing a policy of “total Russophobia”. (HAND)