Joe Biden and Olaf Scholz pledges help set up ‘tank coalition’ for Ukraine

Germany and the US are getting ready to supply Ukraine with advanced Western battle tanks, delivering a potentially decisive boost to Kyiv’s self-defence.

A Ukrainian serviceman fires an RPG towards a Russian position at the frontline in the Donetsk region this week. Picture: AFP

Germany and the US are getting ready to supply Ukraine with advanced Western battle tanks, paving the way for their allies to follow suit and deliver a potentially decisive boost to Kyiv’s self-defence.

On Tuesday night, local time, American officials indicated the Biden administration was ready to give the Ukrainians 30 M1 Abrams main battle tanks, after months of stonewalling their appeals for the armour.

Then on Wednesday morning, also local time, Germany yielded to sustained international pressure and confirmed it would send a company of 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks.

Importantly, Berlin also granted approval for other European countries to send tanks from their own stocks to Ukraine. “The aim is to quickly assemble two tank battalions with Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine,” government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said.

The move gives the green light to a dozen other European ­allies – including Poland, Norway, Spain and Finland – to do the same.

On hearing the news, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki tweeted: “Thank you Olaf Scholz. The decision to send Leopards to Ukraine is a big step towards stopping Russia. Together we are stronger.”

A “tank coalition” across Europe could provide as many as 90 of the powerful machines that, with the arrival of the American tanks, could help to shape the course of the war, military analysts suggest. However, it may be some time before significant numbers appear on the battlefield because some of the surplus Leopard 2s are in a “deplorable” condition, and Ukrainian troops must be trained to use them.

Britain led the way 10 days ago, announcing the delivery of 14 Challenger 2 tanks. There are suggestions France may offer a contingent of its Leclerc tanks.

Ukraine says it needs between 200 and 300 modern Western tanks if it is to hold its ground and make territorial advances in the spring, when Russia is expected to launch a major onslaught.

Ukraine had about 900 Soviet-era tanks when Russia invaded last February. Several hundred have been lost in battle but more than a hundred have been captured from the Russians, with about 300 others supplied by European backers such as Poland and the Czech ­Republic. However, Ukraine says these vehicles are often outdated and unreliable, or simply outgunned by Russian tanks.

The development comes as Ukraine finally conceded late on Wednesday (AEDT) that its troops had pulled out of the battle-scarred town of Soledar in the eastern Donetsk region, which Russian forces claimed to have captured earlier this month.

“After months of heavy fighting, including over the past weeks, the Armed Forces of Ukraine left (Soledar) and retreated along the outskirts to pre-prepared positions,” Ukraine’s military spokesman Sergiy Cherevaty said.

Kyiv’s appeals for heavy tanks had repeatedly fallen on deaf ears in Berlin and Washington, culminating in an outpouring of frustration after a partially fruitless summit last week at Ramstein Air Base in southwestern Germany.

Reports suggest US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin had a “tense” altercation with Wolfgang Schmidt, chief of staff to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, over Mr Sholz’s insistence he would send Leopard 2 tanks only if the Americans agreed to deliver the Abrams.

US and German officials held intense talks in Washington, with Poland increasing the pressure on Mr Scholz by claiming it was prepared to send Ukraine its Leopard 2s without Berlin’s permission. It is unclear why both sides appear to have suddenly given way. The White House declined to comment, while Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate, said the shift was long overdue.

“It’s time, past time, for the Biden administration and our ­allies to get serious about helping Ukraine finish the job,” he said.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said as recently as Tuesday that there was no consensus about sending the Ukrainians tanks. Sources in Germany’s ruling coalition say Mr Scholz had been adamant Germany could not be seen to take the lead alone.

The Leopard 2A6 is the penultimate generation of Europe’s most popular battle tank, with heavy armour, a 120mm gun and a range of more than 320km. Introduced from the early 2000s, it is the backbone of Germany’s tank fleet.

Germany is believed to be preparing to send the tanks out of its own armed forces’ stocks to ensure the delivery is as swift as possible.

Ukrainian deputy foreign minister Andrij Melnyk, who spent months lobbying Mr Scholz for the tanks while he was the ambassador to Germany, reacted jubilantly. “Hallelujah! Jesus Christ!” he wrote on Twitter. “And now, dear allies, let’s establish a powerful fighter jet coalition for Ukraine.”

The Times