Allies who can send Ukraine tanks must ‘do so now’: Scholz

Munich, Germany (AFP):Allies with available battle tanks should send them now to Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Friday, as NATO partners struggle to muster the heavy vehicles pledged for Kyiv.

“Those who can send such battle tanks should really do so now,” Scholz told the Munich Security Conference, adding he would be “intensively campaigning” for allies to move on the issue.

Scholz’s call marked a dramatic reversal of roles as he had for months been under pressure from allies to approve the delivery of German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine.

Germany finally relented in January, saying it would itself send a company of 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks, with the aim of assembling along with allies two tank battalions for Ukraine.

But subsequent talks with NATO partners struggled to make up the numbers for a full battalion of the more modern A6 tanks.

On Wednesday, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius admitted that allies have only mustered “half a battalion” of A6s so far—including the 14 from Germany itself and three from Portugal.

Another battalion would be made up of older A4 tanks, with Poland as the main contributor.

In Munich, Scholz said Germany will “contribute to help our partners make this decision, for example by training Ukrainian soldiers here in Germany or by supporting them with logistics and supplies”.

Talks are ongoing with the Netherlands, but Berlin is opposed to them sending the 14 A6s because that would “weaken the operational readiness” of a joint German-Dutch brigade where they are used.