According to German media, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has decided to send 14 Leopard II tanks to Ukraine and invite other countries to do the same.
Leopard 2s are manufactured in Germany, and their export must be approved by Berlin. Germany has been unwilling to send its troops – or allow other countries to send theirs – for fear of escalating the war with Russia.
However, according to various German media agencies, Mr Scholz has agreed to send at least a company of Leopard 2 A6 tanks. A company is typically comprised of 14 tanks, which is the same number of Leopards that Poland wishes to send and the number of Challenger 2 tanks that the UK has already committed to Ukraine.
Der Spiegel in Germany revealed the story, citing official sources, before it was seemingly verified elsewhere. The German government has yet to issue an official comment.
Ukraine regards the tanks as critical to getting through Russian lines and avoiding a Russian onslaught this spring. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky feels that 300 Leopard tanks would aid the country’s victory against Russia.
