German Defense Ministry: no decisions were made on tanks for Ukraine in Ramstein
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The meeting participants at the American base in Ramstein, Germany, have not yet made any decision on the supply of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said.
“We cannot yet say when the decision on Leopard 2 will be made and what it will be,” said Pistorius (quote according to TASS). According to him, there are arguments both in favor of the supply and against it, and the opinions of the allies differ.
“Germany will not weaken efforts to support Ukraine. The number one priority is air defense,” the head of the Bundeswehr believes. He recalled that already in January, Ukrainian servicemen will begin training in Germany in handling the Patriot air defense system and Marder armored personnel carriers.
Since spring, Ukraine has been demanding the transfer of Leopard 2 tanks from Germany, but Kyiv has been denied this in Berlin. According to CNN, on January 19, US and German defense secretaries Lloyd Austin and Boris Pistorius failed to reach an agreement on this issue. At the same time, pressure on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz intensified after the UK announced the delivery of four Challenger 2 tanks to Kyiv, the Politico newspaper wrote.
In addition, The New York Times reported at the end of December 2022 that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked Washington for Abrams tanks, but the Pentagon refused him. Germany insists it will only supply tanks to Ukraine if Washington does the same, sources told CNN.
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