Why France is reluctant to deliver Leclerc tanks to Ukraine
The head of French diplomacy Catherine Colonna and her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in Odessa, January 26, 2023. via REUTERS - UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY
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Canada will deliver four Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine to help fight the Russian invasion.
An announcement by the Minister of Defense which comes after the decision of the Germans and the Americans to send heavy tanks to Ukraine.
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Catherine Colonna came to Odessa to take stock with her Ukrainian counterpart of the immediate and urgent military and civilian needs.
The head of French diplomacy, for whom this was the fourth visit to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion, came "
to testify to France's long-term support for the Ukrainian people
".
Paris announced earlier this month the dispatch of AMX-10RC wheeled light armored combat vehicles.
As for the Leclerc tanks, the question remains open.
"
Nothing is excluded
," said Emmanuel Macron.
But if the Head of State hesitates, it is first of all for fear of fueling the escalation vis-à-vis Russia.
► To read also: Four questions around the delivery of Western heavy tanks to Ukraine
Next, care must be taken not to weaken French defense capabilities.
However, with 226 Leclerc tanks, which moreover are no longer produced, the French general staff considers that its fleet is already limited.
Cost-benefit ratio
Finally, it is necessary to estimate the cost-benefit ratio of such a supply and to ensure that these vehicles will offer real and effective support to the Ukrainian armed forces.
However, these tanks require very significant logistical support, which risks significantly increasing the bill.
For their part, the Ukrainians are rather insisting on Paris to obtain air defense systems, radar systems and ammunition.
It is a question of supplying the Ukrainians with materials which are "
consistent with their needs
", indicates a diplomatic source to Agence France-Presse (AFP), adding that the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had "
not expressed a need of Leclerc tanks
" for "
obvious
" reasons, namely logistics, maintenance and inventory issues.
"
For any army, having ten different types of tanks in its forces creates a logistical equation that is almost insoluble
," said this source, insisting that the Ukrainians "
wanted from the start
»
Leopard 2 tanks that Germany finally promised
, Wednesday, to deliver to Ukraine.
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Catherine Colonna
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