A government source said on Tuesday that Germany would allow the delivery of Guepard-type tanks to Ukraine, making a major change from Berlin’s cautious military support policy to Kiev.
Details, including the number of tanks specializing in air defense, will be announced Tuesday by Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht at a meeting at the American military base in Ramstein (Germany), according to the same source.
The vehicles will come from German defense industry stocks.
About 40 countries are meeting at the Ramstein base on Tuesday at Washington’s invitation to support the defense of Ukraine, which could “defeat” Russia if given the right equipment, according to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
Austin said after his visit to Kyiv on Monday that the meeting was aimed at “creating additional capabilities for Ukrainian forces” as Russia seeks full control over southern Ukraine and the Donbass region.
France has already announced the deployment of ‘Caesar’ guns with a range of 40 km, and the UK has donated ‘Starstreak’ anti-aircraft missiles and armored vehicles.
German President Olaf Scholz has been questioned by many Baltic and Central European countries for Ukraine’s refusal to send the heavy weapons requested.
Critics see his stance as a continuation of the pro-Russian bias of the Social Democratic Party PSD.
Political debate is lively in Germany, even within the ruling coalition, where the Greens and Liberals found support for Kiev insufficient and asked Scholz to allow the sending of offensive materials, especially armored vehicles.
The Chancellor justifies his cautious policy on heavy weapons as a way to avoid a direct confrontation between NATO and the nuclear power Russia.
source: Noticias
