JAKARTA - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has reportedly decided to send the main fighter tank (MBT) Leopard 2 to Ukraine, as well as allow other countries such as Poland to export similar tanks to Kyiv, while the United States is also rumored to be sending MBT Abrams, sources familiar with the matter said.
A spokesman for the government, foreign ministries, and the German defense ministry declined to comment on this matter.
The decision concerns at least one Leopard 2 A6 tank company that will be provided from Bundeswehr stock, Spiegel magazine said, which first reported the news. It is known, one company usually consists of 14 tanks.
"Today the Chancellor made a decision that cannot be taken lightly. The fact that Germany will support Ukraine with the Leopard tank is a sign of strong solidarity," said Christian Duerr, parliamentary leader of the Free Democratic Party (FDP).
"The #Leopard's free!," tweeted Katrin Goering-Eckardt, vice president of the Bundestag while sharing a media report link on the news.
The #Leopard’s freed!Jetzt kann er hoffentlich schnell der Ukraine bei ihrem Kampf gegen den russischen Angriff und für die Freiheit der Ukraine und Europas helfen.https://t.co/uPJnCvUld0
— Katrin Göring-Eckardt (@GoeringEckardt) January 24, 2023
Other allies, in Scandinavia, for example, intend to follow Germany in supplying their Leopard tanks to Kyiv, the magazine reported.
In the long term, more tanks can be prepared for use, according to the magazine.
Separately, the United States is rumored to be sending dozens of Abrams M1 battle tanks to Ukraine, two officials said. Officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said announcements could come on Wednesday.
They added that Abrams is likely to be purchased through funds known as the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which allows President Joe Biden's administration to obtain weapons from the industry rather than take up the existing US weapons stock.
One official said it was possible the Biden Administration could use the USAI process to buy Abrams from allies who had him, update them and then send him to Ukraine.
The process could take months and even years. Meanwhile, the Pentagon declined to comment on the upcoming announcement of Abrams.
Separately, although there was no official confirmation from Berlin or Washington on Tuesday night, officials at Kyiv quickly praised what they said was a potential game-changer on an already 11-month battlefield.
"Several hundred tanks for our tank crew - the best tank crew in the world. This will be a real blow to democracy against autocracy from swamps," Ukraine's Presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak wrote on Telegram.
Kyiv has been begging for months for Western tanks, which it says are urgently needed to give its troops the power of fire and mobility to break through Russian defensive lines, reclaiming occupied territory in the east and south.
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