After the Russian withdrawal from the Ukrainian city of Lyman, there are new demands from the Union and the Greens for tank deliveries to Kyiv. Ukraine “needs armored personnel carriers and battle tanks now,” said CDU foreign affairs expert Jürgen Hardt on Sunday to the AFP news agency. The Green European politician Anton Hofreiter specifically called for the delivery of Leopard 2 battle tanks.
Ukraine reported on Saturday that its troops had marched into Lyman, and on Sunday President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that it had completely recaptured it. The strategically important city is located in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, which Russia annexed on Friday despite international protests. The annexation also affects the three other Moscow-controlled regions of Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson.
“Germany should take the recapture of Lyman as an opportunity to do more,” Hardt told AFP. “Ukraine wants more equipment from Germany and must get it.” The recent success of the Ukrainian troops shows “how this war can be ended in the foreseeable future. Ukraine now needs armored personnel carriers and battle tanks for this.” The federal government has so far not wanted to deliver such military equipment to Kyiv.
According to a report on Sunday, Hofreiter told the “Welt” about the self-propelled howitzers already delivered by Germany to Ukraine: “Why should self-propelled howitzers be less aggressive than a Leopard 2?” Germany should “take responsibility for Europe, together with Spain, which is ready to deliver Leopard tanks”.
On the possibility of a nuclear escalation of the conflict, Hofreiter said the West should react calmly to such threats from Russia and not allow itself to be intimidated. “India and China, which have so far held back Russia, clearly reject the use of tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine,” said the Green politician. In such a case, Russia would be completely isolated internationally. “So I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
