It will be completed by the end of week a new weapon pack from the total value of $2.5 billion that Washington wants to send to Kyiv. It will be one of the largest shipments from the United States since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. Also because the president’s troops are there for the first time Volodymyr Zelensky they will i Stryker combat vehicles: Heavy weapons that the Pentagon had previously preferred not to use in order to avoid a possible harsh reaction from Moscow and the resulting consequences escalation of the conflict. But that won’t be there alongside the Strykers Abraham, American-made tanks. And it is precisely this lack that is causing discussions within the Atlantic Alliance: According to reports from the Wall Street Journal, Germany has no intention of exporting over 2 thousand Leopard tanks made in Germany delivered to the Born until the United States agrees to send their Abrams. Berlin fears that such a move could draw the country into a direct confrontation with Russia.
Supplying Leopards, considered the most advanced tanks in the world, would be of great help to Kiev’s troops. Several European governments – including Poland, Finland and Denmark – said they were ready to send them, but they had to get them firstPermission from Berlin. In the words of a senior German official, as the WSJ reports, Germany does not want to distinguish “between direct exports and exports from third countries” unless the US sends its tanks first. What, according to the Undersecretary for Defense Policy colin kahl, it is not in the plans of the Pentagon: “The Abrams tank is very complicated, it is expensive. The exercises are complex. It has a jet engine. It’s not the easiest system to manage,” Pentagon number three said.
For now, Washington will confine itself to shipping the new $2.5 billion package. According to CNN, which cites two well-informed sources, it will also i armored vehicles Fighter Bradley. Also on the list are Mraps, armored vehicles designed to withstand IEDs, improvised explosive devices and ambushes. According to sources, Kyiv will be able to respond to Russian attacks much more effectively, and maybe even win back new areas at a faster pace.
Of the Pentagonhowever, the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin He explained that the US intends to “keep pressing the Germans” to allow their Leopard tanks to be deployed to Ukraine to ensure the country is “ready at a crucial moment” to a possible Russian spring offensive to counteract. The European Parliament has also expressly called on the EU to press for the delivery of the tanks and the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, he assured that the Allies would soon supply Kyiv with “heavier weapons”. The first answer came from Sweden: the Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, said it will supply Ukraine with Archer long-range artillery systems. Meanwhile, the President of the European Council Karl Michael is expected in the capital today. With Zelensky they will discuss “concrete actions to ensure that Kyiv grows stronger and more powerful,” Michel said in a video message posted on Twitter. The Kremlin’s response to the West’s new use of weapons was not long in coming: The Moscow spokesman, Dmitry Peskovstated that “supplies of new weapons to Ukraine can take the conflict to a new level”.
on my way to #Kiev.
The Ukrainians are fighting for their country, for the future of their children.
But they also fight for our common European values of peace and prosperity.They need and deserve our support. pic.twitter.com/ewLY4E9udX
— Charles Michel (@CharlesMichel) January 19, 2023