leadership proved necessary to resolve an inter-allied dispute. No longer “alone,” the German government approved the export and transfer of Leopard tanks to Ukraine. In the interest of allied unity, the Biden administration eventually stepped in and agreed to provide Abrams tanks to Ukraine. Like a scared child in a room full of strangers, Germany felt alone if its Uncle Sam was not holding its hand. It was not enough that other partners would send tanks or that the United States might send other weapons. He was unwilling to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine unless the United States also sent its own main battle tank, the M1 Abrams. The United States, France, and Germany itself had already committed to send infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine, a weapons system that a layperson cannot even distinguish from tanks.īut “alone” had a very specific meaning for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The European Parliament voted in favor of a European Union initiative in this regard in October 2022. The Polish and Finnish governments had publicly signaled that they would be ready to supply Leopard 2 tanks in conjunction with other allies. By January 2023 Britain had announced that it would send 14 of its Challenger main battle tanks to Ukraine. The curious part was that no one was asking Germany to act alone. “We always act together with our allies and friends,” Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, insisted. But the government in Berlin, worried about escalation with Russia, refused to move first. Ukraine said it needed Western tanks - and the German-made Leopards were the tank that best fit the bill. The United States and Europe had collectively committed to support Ukraine in its war with Russia. The issue of sending Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine roiled German and European politics for months in late 2022.
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