EEstonia, Latvia and Lithuania called on Germany to urgently transfer Leopard tanks to Ukraine Berlin bears a special responsibility for helping Ukraine, it is obliged to transfer the tanks requested by Kiev as soon as possible, the foreign ministers of the three countries said. The German authorities explained that they could not send tanks before the United States
TankLeopard
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania called on Germany to urgently transfer Leopard tanks of its own production to Ukraine, such messages were published on Twitter by the heads of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of these countries Urmas Reinsalu, Edgar Rinkevich and Gabrielius Landsbergis.
“This is necessary to stop Russian aggression, help Ukraine and quickly restore peace in Europe. Germany, as a leading European power, has a special responsibility in this regard,” the ministers’ messages say.
The Ukrainian authorities asked Germany to provide Leopard, but the German authorities, according to Süddeutsche Zeitung and The Wall Street Journal, refuse to transfer tanks before the US takes a similar step. Berlin explained that the delivery interferes with Germany’s past, and Washington’s actions have made Berlin’s situation easier.
The White House believes that Germany has put the United States in a difficult position with such a condition, since American Abrams tanks are more difficult to operate and consume more fuel than their European counterparts, they will not be able to transfer them in the near future if such a decision is made. A source of the Financial Times in diplomatic circles noted that the position of Germany irritated half of Western countries.
The German Defense Ministry then announced its intention to find out how many Leopard tanks can be transferred to Ukraine if approval is still received. This, however, provoked criticism in the Bundestag. The head of the defense committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmerman, considered it an alarming sign that the ministry engaged in such a check only after 11 months of fighting in Ukraine and only after the appointment of a new defense minister.
Read on RBC Pro Early experience: companies in Russia have begun to use child labor more often. A teenager again does not sleep until midnight. How to help him establish a regime To sell gold abroad below the world price is prohibited. What to do for business What will happen to US stocks in 2023: the forecast of Wall Street strategists
The Russian authorities criticize the supply of weapons, as well as discussions of such measures. «These tanks are burning and will burn— just like the rest», — insist in the Kremlin. The representative of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov urged not to exaggerate the possible impact of the tanks transferred to Kiev on the course of the conflict.
Authors Tags Subscribe to VK RBC Get news faster than anyone