Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has appealed to the allies in Ukraine’s defense against Russia to deliver Leopard main battle tanks to Kiev, as did Germany. Together we must now ensure that Ukraine can defend itself and save human lives, said the Green politician in an interview with Bayerischer Rundfunk on Friday on the sidelines of the security conference in Munich, which was to be broadcast in the evening. “That’s why we’re appealing so urgently to other partner countries that have a similar model to what we’re delivering” to also make such tanks available.
After much hesitation, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) announced the delivery of 14 Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine at the end of January and stated the goal of “quickly” setting up two tank battalions together with allies, for which 62 tanks are needed in Ukraine. For the battalion, for which Germany took the lead so far only Portugal has promised three Leopard 2A6s. That means: 14 tanks are still missing. “We will not reach battalion strength there”Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) only admitted in the middle of the week.
Baerbock now said, with a view to the partners’ Leopard deliveries, that one must work together to ensure “that there are enough that will also have an effect, namely that villages can be protected, that people can be defended”. Individual states have already agreed to this. “But yes, we need more other states to participateso that it can really save human lives,” said the minister.
