Representatives of the ruling coalition insisted that the issue of the supply of tanks to Kiev should be submitted to the parliament’s foreign affairs committee.
The Bundestag in Germany on Thursday 19 January did not support the proposal of the opposition CDU / CSU faction to transfer the Leopard 1 and Leopard 2 tanks to the Ukrainian side. This was reported by the agency “Ukrinform”.
Representatives of the ruling coalition, which includes the Social Democratic Party of Germany, the Green Party and the Free Democratic Party, opposed the immediate supply of the tanks. After a heated debate, they insisted that the issue of arms procurement be referred to parliament’s foreign affairs committee.
However, both the opposition and the coalition favor more military aid to Ukraine.
David Wadeful, deputy chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, turned to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to demand that the tanks be immediately transferred to Kiev, especially given the fear that Russia will launch a new large-scale offensive this spring.
Among other things, the Conservatives offered to transfer the Leopard 1 tanks from the industrial stocks of the Federal Republic of Germany or to take them from the arsenals of other states.
According to Waderful, about 200 units of such weapons are currently stored in warehouses in Germany, and they can currently be transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
According to the deputy, Scholz’s statements that Germany should not be the only country transporting heavy weapons to Ukraine are no longer valid as other countries, including Poland and France, have already expressed their willingness to supply tanks to Kiev.
In parallel, CDU/CSU deputies insist that the government has already started preparations for the transfer of Leopard 2.
Agnieszka Brugger from the Green Party noted that her political power supports the supply of tanks to Ukraine, but the ruling coalition has not yet reached a unanimous decision on this issue.
The CDU / CSU faction raised the issue of transferring heavy weapons to the Ukrainian side at least six times last year.
Remember, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on January 18 that Poland could hand over the Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine without waiting for the decision of the German Ministry of Defense.
Politico reports that France is considering sending its own Leclerc tanks to Ukraine. Thus, Paris wants to set an example for Olaf Scholz.
Source: Focus
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