Scholz said he did not know the cost of supplying Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine

The cost of supplying Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine is unknown, said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Nevertheless, these costs Germany “will bear itself,” he said.

“I can’t say for sure, but we will carry them ourselves,” said Scholz, answering the question of how much the delivery of German tanks to Ukraine will cost (quoted by RIA Novosti).

Bloomberg this afternoon, citing Scholz’s statement reportedthat Germany announced the shipment of 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. German-made tanks will come from the warehouses of the armed forces of the Bundeswehr. According to the statement, Germany will also provide the allies with the necessary permission to re-export their Leopard 2s to Ukraine.

Later German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius declaredthat Leopard 2 tanks will be delivered to Ukraine no earlier than in 3-4 months. He noted that Germany takes all steps related to supporting the Ukrainian side in coordination with its allies, focusing on not becoming a party to the conflict itself.

This decision of Germany, Russian Ambassador to Germany Sergey Nechaev named extremely dangerous. According to him, this takes the Ukrainian conflict to a new level of confrontation and contradicts the statements of German politicians about Germany’s unwillingness to be drawn into it. He said that this again proves that Germany, like its allies, is not interested in a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine. The country is set for its escalation and “unlimited pumping” of Kyiv with new weapons, he added.

Last autumn, Scholz declaredthat Western countries are going to provide assistance to Ukraine “for decades to come.” The German chancellor said that he considers EU support for Ukraine “the right geopolitical decision.” He emphasized that the EU would provide assistance to Kyiv as much as needed.