The German newspaper also draws attention to the fact that Finland has not committed to deliver a single battle tank to Ukraine.
German newspaper Weltin (you switch to another service) according to sources, the alliance formed by Germany to supply Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine is on the verge of collapse. Among the countries that previously had a positive attitude to tank deliveries, Denmark and the Netherlands have now refused deliveries.
Government sources in the countries confirm the matter to the newspaper. Instead of tank deliveries, the countries say they will finance the renovation of the old Leopard 1 tanks that are in German warehouses and will be delivered to Ukraine.
According to Welt, the German regime has now found itself in a lonely position that it wanted to avoid at all costs before agreeing to the supply of modern main battle tanks. So far, along with Germany, only Poland has committed to shipments of double-digit tank quantities.
– The situation is not encouraging, if you phrase it carefully, says the German Minister of Defense to Welt Boris Pistorius.
When asked, Pistorius only thinly veiled Germany’s sourness to countries that originally pressured Germany to deliver and are now scrambling for their own deliveries. Welt asked the defense minister if he has sympathy for these countries.
– I’m moving on diplomatic grounds here, so to that question I say: a little.
The promised Leopard 2 numbers are far from the target
When Germany initially announced the Leopard 2 shipments, the stated goal was to send two battalions of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. In the German Defense Forces, a battalion includes 44 tanks, so this was originally interpreted to mean almost 90 tanks.
Since then, it has emerged that the goal is to form Ukrainian battalions, which will include 31 wagons. Consequently, the planned number shrank by about a third to just over 60.
Germany has promised 14 Leopard 2 tanks and Poland 14, in addition to which Norway has promised eight, Canada four and Portugal three tanks. So far, only one of the planned battalions is being assembled.
There is still uncertainty about the share of Spain and Finland. Finland has not yet committed to delivering a single tank, although the country has one of Europe’s largest arsenals of Leopard 2 tanks: around 200. Only Poland, Spain, Greece and Germany are ahead of Finland.
According to Welt’s sources, the perception of the NATO countries is that Finland wants to wait for the approval of its NATO membership before sending tanks.