Germany is to supply Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks, as requested by Kiev, two German media reported on Tuesday evening. For its part, the United States may agree to supply Abrams tanks, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz is expected to give the go-ahead, probably on Wednesday, for the dispatch of German Leopard 2 type 2A6 tanks, according to Le Spiegel on its website, without citing a source. The media outlet adds that this involves "at least one company", i.e. at least ten heavy tanks. The NTV news channel, quoting sources close to the government, also reports that the German Chancellor, who has been under pressure for several weeks to give his agreement, is preparing to announce it.
World-renowned weapon
When questioned by AFP, the Social Democrat Chancellor's entourage declined to comment on Tuesday evening. The German leader, who is due to address the Bundestag, the lower house of the German parliament, at 12:00 GMT on Wednesday, would also give his agreement to countries, including Poland, that wish to deliver Leopard 2 tanks to Kiev, according to these media.
The Leopard 2 heavy tank, which Ukraine has been demanding for months from Germany and the West, is a world-renowned weapon with the potential to have a "significant" impact on the battlefield, according to experts. Designed by German manufacturer Krauss-Maffei and mass-produced from the late 1970s onwards to replace the American M48 Patton tank and then the Leopard 1 tank, the Leopard 2 combines firepower, mobility and protection.
Finland and Poland ready to do it
In Berlin, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Wednesday morning that he had "expressly encouraged partner countries that have Leopard tanks ready for deployment to train Ukrainian forces on these tanks".
So far, Finland and Poland have said they are ready to do so. Warsaw, which wants to create a "coalition of countries supporting Ukraine with Leopard 2″ tanks, has officially sent a request to this effect, the receipt of which was confirmed by Berlin on Tuesday.
"We will deal with the request as a matter of urgency in accordance with the procedure laid down", a German government spokesman said on Tuesday.
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