The novel of the tanks Leopard 2 It ended. Germany gave the green light for its powerful armored vehicles to be handed over to Ukrainewhich in recent weeks has been asking them with special insistence to be able to face the offensive russian.
The scoop was announced on Tuesday by the weekly “Der Spiegel”, and was confirmed this Wednesday by the government of the chancellor Olaf Schölzwho until the last moment had been reluctant to hand over the German tanks, causing the despair of kyiv and its Western allies.
LOOK: Zelensky thanks German Chancellor for deciding “on time” to send Leopard tanks
Is about 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks from the reserves of the German army, and in addition European countries that wish to do so will be allowed to supply Ukraine with armored vehicles they own.
Poland was precisely the country that exerted the greatest pressure and even warned that it could deliver its own Leopards – which has about 250 of the 2A4 model – without the authorization of Berlin.
“The goal is to quickly assemble two Leopard 2 tank battalions for Ukraine.” said German spokesman Seffen Hebestreit after the council of ministers.
The agreed package includes logistical support, ammunition, maintenance, as well as prompt training of Ukrainian forces in the efficient use of tanks.
Russia was quick to react and the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, warned that “These tanks will burn, just like all the others.” “It’s a plan doomed to fail.” added.
a powerful tank
According to the Ukrainian Government, Russia is about to launch a strong ground offensive as soon as winter is over -which could be in April- and for this it urgently needs some 300 armored vehicles, a request that President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos and at the meeting held last week by some 50 defense ministers from around the world.
READ ALSO: Zelensky: “It is not about 5, nor 10, nor 15 tanks, the need is greater”
But could the Leopard really give him the victory that the Ukrainians so long for?
Let’s start by telling why they are considered among the most powerful tanks in the world.
It is a 55-tonne vehicle, whose main weapon is a 120mm smoothbore cannon, and it has a fully digitized fire control system. Its advantage is its large number: more than 3,500 have been posted to 19 countries, according to Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, the German manufacturer of the Leopard 2.
READ ALSO: How is the Leopard 2, the powerful German tank that Ukraine craves to defend itself against the Russians
“They are very versatile tanks, and they are one of the few that can travel between 50 and 70 kilometers per hour, depending on the terrain. They have one of the best distance cannons”comments to El Comercio on international security expert Arturo Ponce Urquiza, professor at the Autonomous University of Mexico and Anahuac University.
“These tanks had their trial by fire in Afghanistan, in the Balkan war and in Syria, where they faced the Russian T72, T80 and T90 tanks.”Add. “Come into the spring, the ice is going to turn into muddy mud, and the Leopards have been very efficient on those terrains.”
Another good news for Ukraine is that not only the Leopard 2 would be on the way, but American Abrams could also be freed by Washingtonwho had refused to hand them over in these 11 months of conflict.
Ponce Urquiza points out that the arrival of these sophisticated tanks would complete the Ukrainian strategy. “Ukraine is successfully conducting its war with drones, not only the aerial ones but also the maritime ones, which are like small boats that have made a dent in part of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, stationed in Sevastopol. What the Ukrainians want to do is use air and sea attacks and have the ability to fire on the ground with these types of tanks, which are very effective.”Explain.
German reluctance
Since the start of the war, Ukraine has not stopped asking for weapons and ammunition in order to stop the Russian offensive. In 11 months of war, the United States and its Western allies have delivered anti-aircraft systems, missiles, ammunition, artillery, in addition to billions of dollars to face the fighting.
However, the delivery of the most sophisticated war material has always taken time, such as the HIMARS systems or the Patriot, the latter still pending.
And the shipment of the tanks was no exception, even more so if the person responsible is Germany, a country that is particularly cautious when it comes to getting involved in a conflict due to the injuries left by the Second World War.
In fact, since the beginning of the Russian invasion, scholz it refrained from providing lethal weapons to Ukraine, but ended up acquiescing under pressure.
“Scholz does not want to directly confront Russia or show a totally anti-Russian stance. It must be remembered that since the war began they were reluctant to sanction Russia over the gas issue, because they were the main consumers of gas through the Nord Stream gas pipeline, and there are a number of assets of German companies in Russia.”points out Ponce Urquiza.
The Mexican expert adds that Scholz has been measuring the times a lot, both in climate and in politics. “Fortunately for Europe, the winter has not been so harsh, which has helped Germany to use its gas reserves for the winter, in addition to what they have imported from Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Norway or Great Britain. This has given him strategic advantages to be able to move because, internally, he does not want to compromise his re-election either ”.
Source: Elcomercio
I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.