Kyiv had hoped for a clear green light from Germany at the Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting at Ramstein air base on Friday to provide them with Leopard 2 battle tanks. Instead, the new German defence minister, Boris Pistorius, equivocated all day, at one stage saying it could take a month to reach a decision.
That sort of procrastination might be acceptable in peace time, but this is a war in which every day counts. We’re almost one year into the most deadly conflict in Europe since 1945 and Germany has been an unreliable partner since the start. First, they only wanted to send 5000 helmets while other countries quickly dispatched lethal weapons; now they have been dithering over tanks, dividing NATO, putting all of the West in a difficult position and – worst of all – jeopardizing Ukraine’s war effort.
Poland ready to build ‘smaller coalition’ to send tanks to Ukraine without Germany
If Germany won’t play ball, then Poland will find other partners to deliver Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in pointed remarks accusing Berlin of foot-dragging in its support of Kyiv against invading Russian forces.
Poland is prepared to go around German opposition to build a “smaller coalition” of countries and find allies willing to send the tanks to Ukraine, Morawiecki said in an interview with the Polish Press Agency published on Sunday.
“We will not passively watch Ukraine bleed to death,” Morawiecki said.
What is going on? I wonder if the Germans know or deeply suspect it was “our side” that blew up the NordStream pipes to keep them on-side.
Certainly there exists an anti-war culture but some German politicians do wish to release the Leopards.
This stubbornness may indicate pushback against the strong-arming by the US Deep State (No one seriously believes Biden runs anything).
Ukrainian refugees marching toward the headquarters of the Bavarian wing of Chancellor Scholz’s SPD Party, calling on Germany to free the Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine.
pic.twitter.com/7nDXX4ZkHw— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) January 21, 2023
