U.S., Germany pledge tanks to Ukraine, signaling heavy fighting ahead

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Months of hesitation
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had been deeply reluctant to substantially increase the German level of support. But he came under increasing pressure given the quality and availability of the German tanks. Speaking to parliament Wednesday, he defended the length of time it took to reach the decision.

"Ladies and gentleman, that is the right principle. We are dealing with very effective weapons systems, and it is the right thing for us to never provide these weapons systems on their own, but always in close cooperation," Scholz said.

In many statements by U.S. officials over the course of months, the U.S. said the Abram tank was not the best fit for Ukraine. In contrast, the Leopard seemed to make more sense. More than a dozen European nations have them. Those countries have trained with the Leopards and know how to maintain them.

But the Germans didn't want to go it alone. The U.S. announcement appeared to provide political cover for the Germans to move ahead.

A senior U.S. official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, described the German and U.S. tank pledges this way: "Coupled with near-term commitment by the Germans on the Leopards, we think the Abrams represent a long-term commitment" by the U.S.

Poland and other European nations with Leopard tanks are expected to offer them to Ukraine as well.

Ukraine, meanwhile, has received pledges for heavy weapons over the past month that far exceed anything in the previous 11 months of war.

In late December, the U.S. said it would send a Patriot missile defense system, considered key to helping Ukraine defend against ongoing Russian missile strike directed at the country's electricity grid.

On Jan. 6, the U.S. announced a $3 billion weapons package, the largest single tranche so far.

Last Friday, the U.S. led a coalition of more than 50 countries that met in Ramstein, Germany, to offer additional support for Ukraine. While much of the public discussion focused on the U.S. and German refusal to provide tanks, Ukraine did receive extremely strong support overall. The U.S. promised an additional $2.5 billion, including more than 500 armored vehicles. The Germans offered up an additional $1 billion in military hardware."

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel good day Brother William, always informational and of the most interesting. Thanks for sharing, have a blessed day!

Excellent post. Thank You for sharing this. This should be interesting.