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More than a year after the start of the war, long after Ukraine first asked Germany for Leopard 2 tanks, Berlin handed over 18 units to Kiev on Monday. In doing so, the German government is making an important contribution to Ukraine's defense capability, but it must not stop there.
For Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), the work really has to start now. Because when he ended his blockade of main battle tank deliveries at the end of January and promised Kiev the Leopard 2 tanks, he also promised to deliver in an international network and to coordinate the composition of two battalions. However, he only managed this to a limited extent.
After the German announcement, experts originally expected a total of 88 tanks, because they assumed that battalions in Bundeswehr strength would have 44 units each. However, it quickly became clear that this would not be possible. Because one failed to obtain firm commitments from the other countries willing to deliver. From a total of 2,000 Leopard tanks in European stocks, it was only with difficulty that 67 specimens were scraped together, as several countries backed down.
That's not enough for Ukraine. Originally, Kiev had announced a need for 300 main battle tanks in order to be able to hold its own against Russia. Even military experts consider this number to be far exaggerated, but formulated a minimum requirement that the country needs in any case.
It can be assumed that around 100 Leopard tanks would be needed to decisively change the fighting, wrote the experts at the renowned think tank International Institute for Strategic Studies back in January.
The western alliance must therefore supply more Leopard 2 tanks if it wants to give Ukraine a sustainable advantage on the battlefield. Above all, the countries that have long been outraged by Scholz's refusal and tried to put pressure on him must increase their contributions or participate in the alliance at all.
The chancellor must demand this now – and set a good example himself. The fact that the federal government wants to increase the financial resources for military aid from the previous three billion euros to 15 billion euros is a good sign. So there shouldn't be a lack of money for new leopards - and hopefully there won't be a lack of political will either.
