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Will the West supply Ukraine with battle tanks?

2023-01-13 22:25:14Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Will the West supply Ukraine with battle tanks?
Will the West supply Ukraine with battle tanks?

The West's decision to supply Ukraine with Western light tanks is a new level of weaponry. In the subsequent discussion about battle tanks, Germany can play a key role.

The first country to break the ice with the decision to send tanks to Ukraine was France. The French declared on January 4 that they will supply Ukraine with light tanks, as the French call them, or armored military vehicles, as others call them. Just 24 hours later, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, after calling US President Joe Biden, announced that both Germany and the US will supply Ukraine with light tanks. The British said they would do the same. Germany will also give Ukraine a Patriot anti-missile system.

It is about light tanks that accompany battle tanks in battle. With up to 10 soldiers on board, their task is to neutralize enemy anti-tank units and destroy enemy tanks. These tanks have 20-25 mm guns and anti-tank missiles.

The French will send their AMX-10 RC model, the Germans Marder tanks, and the Americans Bradley tanks. With this, a high point is reached in the West's armaments for Ukraine so far. This is because the tanks in question can be used on the front line by the Ukrainians to break the enemy's front. So far, both the US and Germany have supplied Ukraine with transport vehicles and support vehicles. But now the discussion has even opened to supply Ukraine with Western heavy tanks.

Reasons for escalation of armaments from the West for Ukraine

From the formal side, international law experts and German generals say that as long as a state does not send troops to the state at war, there can be no talk of involvement in the war. But the limits of this space are not infinite. That is why the Western countries are advancing weapons against Ukraine only together, not separately, to stand as a bloc in front of Russia.

The common goal of all western and eastern democratic states is to stop the war. But at the moment we seem far from that. Polish President Andrzej Duda made this clear when he said "the war is not over". "Everything shows that Russia will continue to wage a devastating war against Ukraine."

The explanation for the escalation of armaments by the West should also be sought here. According to US President Joe Biden "the war has reached a turning point". Western countries are worried that after the winter in Ukraine, a big Russian offensive could follow. This is possible according to experts with the new troops mobilized by Russia and with a new mobilization, which is being talked about.

Former military member of the German Bundestag, Roderich Kiesewetter, told DW that Russia dominates the escalation. And we have to break that. Kiesewetter said Germany should "bring Ukraine into a position for negotiations." "And then we can negotiate, they can negotiate with Russia."

Poland and France requested tank armament

Poland fears that after Ukraine it could be the target of a Russian attack. "If we don't defend Ukraine's independence, we will be the next target," the Polish government spokesman said Thursday. That's why the Poles are not going to ask for heavy weapons for Ukraine. The pressure is for the Poles a way to encourage other NATO countries to send weapons, since the Poles do not want to act in isolation.

France was the only one that announced the decision to send light tanks to Ukraine. But France's decision is not as isolated as it seems. According to French officials, the French decision on the tanks was coordinated with the Ramstein contact group, which includes about 50 countries that supply arms to Ukraine.

France also wants the end of the war, like all western democratic states. The reason that the French rushed with their statement about the tanks should be seen in a preference of President Macron to come out first, even with statements.

But there is another possible reason why France decided first to arm Ukraine with tanks. This can be traced to the shifts in power ratios that have accelerated in Europe with the outbreak of war in Ukraine.

With the spiral of armaments that has started in all EU countries, France's military role as the only nuclear power, as a major military power, may fade. In addition, Western investment in Ukraine, due to the war, may bring Ukraine closer to the EU more quickly than would happen in normal peacetime. Thus, Ukraine got the EU candidate status now because of the war, not because of the reforms. France, but also other countries are reserved for this. It is no coincidence that the European political community, originally conceived as an EU antechamber, was introduced by France only shortly after the war in Ukraine broke out.

Germany's reaction to the role of supplying Ukraine with battle tanks

Poland wants to supply Ukraine now with Leopard 2 battle tanks. These sophisticated tanks are developed in Germany. But the rule is that the transfer of German-made weapons to other parties needs Germany's approval. Previous requests for this, such as from Spain, Germany has rejected them. This time, however, there are signs that Germany may agree to the shipment.

German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said Thursday that Berlin should not prevent Poland from exporting tanks. "Germany should not have opposed the decision of other countries to support Ukraine," the German vice chancellor said. But according to German Defense Minister Lambrecht, Poland has not yet made a request. A final decision, however, is unlikely to be made before January 20, when Ramstein's format group will assemble. This will probably be a topic at the Security Conference in Munich, in mid-February.

Western tanks are superior in firepower and armor to the Soviet-style T-72 tanks, for which Ukraine has difficulty obtaining spare parts. The Ukrainian military has said it needs at least 300 Western tanks. Even in Washington there is talk of sending Abrams tanks. But most experts say that the Leopard 2 tanks would be more favorable for Ukraine. This is because 13 European countries have German Leopard tanks in their reserves. All together they have about 2000 Leopards, a much larger reservoir for Kiev./ DW


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