Daniel Bommer, editor-in-chief of the German newspaper "Die Welt", expected that Germany would submit to pressure from its European and American allies and accept supplying Ukraine with "Leopard 2" tanks.
He added - in his interview with the episode (1/19/2023) of the "Beyond the News" program - that Germany may also allow other countries to send "Leopard 2" tanks to Kyiv, stressing that the German Chancellor's condition, Olaf Schultz, is that Washington supplies Kyiv with "Abrams" tanks. For his country's commitment to supplying Ukraine with "Leopard 2" tanks is an attempt to make it difficult for the Americans or to propose a face-saving compromise, in light of the pressure Berlin faces from its partners.
The Americans say that their Abrams tanks are not suitable for Ukraine because they are very complex and require large amounts of fuel, and they may be among the latest weapons in America and do not want them to fall into the hands of the Russians, as the German guest said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized Germany without naming it before the Davos Forum, and said that stipulating that NATO allies provide tanks to Ukraine by providing another party with its tanks is not a correct strategy to be followed.
according to his expression.
Poland also criticized Berlin's position and pledged to deliver German tanks to Ukraine.
Poland insists on providing Kyiv with German tanks
The editor-in-chief of "Die Welt" newspaper attributed the reason for the German chancellor's reluctance to provide Kyiv with "Leopard 2" tanks to his fear of an escalation in the Ukraine war and of Russia's retaliation, which might resort to the use of nuclear weapons. dialogue with her.
As for Dr. Marcin Zaborowski, a member of the Advisory Council on Foreign Relations in the Polish Senate, he expected that Germany would not deviate from the European consensus regarding the need to supply Kyiv with German-made tanks, which are among the most advanced tanks in the world, and also indicated that his country might receive those tanks even without approval. Germans, as expressed by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
He stressed that the Baltic states and Poland, out of a geographical motive, feel the Russian threats, and in the event that it does not provide advanced weapons to Ukraine in order to defend itself, Russia will seek expansion as it is historically known.
Finland had expressed a cautious desire to supply Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks, but in limited numbers, as it is not a member of NATO.
In its response, Russia warned the West of the danger of supplying Ukraine with weapons that would enable it to launch attacks on Russian territory.
She described this matter as very dangerous, and that it would take the conflict to a new level.
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that supplying Ukraine with this type of weapon would mean raising the level of conflict to a new qualitative degree that does not bode well for the security of all of Europe.