Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Oleksii Makeiev has called on Berlin to provide Ukraine with Leopard tanks as soon as possible.
The UK announced plans on Saturday to provide Ukraine with Challenger 2 tanks, with Germany coming under renewed pressure to follow suit, according to DW reporting on Sunday.
“German weapons and German tanks are essential for survival,” Makeiev noted in an interview with German dpa news agency and added “we have very little time for discussions… we expect our allies to understand that and act appropriately.”
His appeal comes days before the meeting of Ukrainian and Western defence ministers in Germany where they will discuss additional support for Kiev in the war against Russia.
“We are not asking for German soldiers or American soldiers, only weapons,” Makeiev concluded.
Earlier this month, Germany agreed to send armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) to Ukraine. However, Berlin stressed that it wants Kiev’s Western allies, especially the US, to reach an agreement on any tank deliveries.
Finland, Poland offer tanks
Finland and Poland previously announced they were prepared to provide Ukraine with Leopard tanks as part of an EU alliance.
On Friday, the German government pointed out that it has not received requests from Finland and Poland to export the tanks, reminding that it is required for re-export.
Robert Habeck, German Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, stressed on Thursday that “Germany should not stand in the way of other countries taking decisions to support Ukraine, independent of which decisions Germany takes.”
German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall pointed out on Sunday that it could deliver refurbished Leopards to Ukraine in 2024.
“Even if the decision is made tomorrow that we are allowed to send our Leopard tanks to Kiev, delivering them will take until the beginning of next year,” company CEO Armin Papperger stressed in an interview with Bild am Sonntag weekly.
The company has 88 Leopard 1s and 22 Leopard 2s in stock, but the tanks require repairs worth several hundred million euro.
“The vehicles must be completely dismantled and rebuilt,” Papperger pointed out and reiterated that Rheinmetall could not deliver the tanks before 2024.
