The German government announced that it would provide Ukraine with a German-made tank "Leopard 2", and also indicated a policy to allow countries that have tanks to provide it to Ukraine.
Russia strongly opposes continued military aggression against Ukraine.
On the 25th, the German government announced that it will provide Ukraine with German-made tanks "Leopard 2".
With the goal of quickly forming two battalions, the plan is to provide 14 tanks from the German army to Ukraine as the first stage. showed.
German media, citing a defense ministry spokesman, said training for Ukrainian soldiers will begin next month.
In addition, the announcement also indicated a policy to approve the provision of "Leopard 2" owned by European countries such as Poland to Ukraine.
Germany has changed its cautious stance on the provision of the Leopard 2, known for its high attack capability, to Ukraine. We are acting so as not to pose a risk," he asked the public for their understanding.
Regarding the German government's announcement, the head of the Ukrainian president's office, Yermak, welcomed it by posting on SNS that "the first step has been taken" on the 25th, and expressed hope that many countries will provide tanks. .
In response, Russia, which continues to invade Ukraine, has strongly objected, and Nechayev, the ambassador to Germany, issued a statement on the 25th, saying, "This extremely dangerous decision raises the conflict to a new level of confrontation. ' claimed.
Russia expert 'extremely serious for Russia'
Regarding the provision of tanks from Europe and the United States, including the "Leopard 2", Dmitry Solonnikov, a Russian expert who is familiar with security, responded to NHK's online interview on the 25th, saying, "It is extremely serious for Russia, and we will deal with it quite seriously. It will be a difficult challenge for the Russian army, and it will be a task to be dealt with with maximum concentration," he said, and the Russian army, which had been dealing with the same former Soviet tanks, would be forced to fight hard. showed the point of view.
On top of that, regarding the impact of the supply of tanks on the war situation, he said, "The Ukrainian army is clearly going to attack in late spring and early summer. Their goal is to go to the southern cities of Melitopol and Crimea." It was analyzed that the military will use tanks to strengthen its reversal offensive, such as recapturing southern cities controlled by the Russian army.
Regarding Russia's future response, he said, "We need to change our strategy to stop the supply of weapons to Ukraine. Russia has so far failed to destroy Ukraine's transport infrastructure." He pointed out that the Russian military may step up attacks on tank transport routes such as railroads in Ukraine in order to interfere with the supply.