Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has spoken in favor of the delivery of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. “I think Ukraine should be given the military equipment it needs and can use to defend its homeland,” she said on Tuesday. Think of modern anti-aircraft systems, but also other modern military equipment.
Ukrainians defend not only their country, but also the founding principles of the United Nations Charter, fundamental rights and international law, the president of the European Commission added. Therefore, she has held this position since the beginning of the Russian offensive war.
At a press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and EU Council President Charles Michel, von der Leyen asked if she would support states considering providing Western main battle tanks such as the Leopard 2. In addition to countries such as Poland and Spain, this also includes Great Britain.
Some countries are not allowed to give away tanks without a permit
The issue of tank deliveries is particularly explosive because countries such as Spain and Poland are not allowed to hand over their Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine without the permission of the manufacturer, Germany. So far, the German government does not want to hand over Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. In Great Britain, the delivery of Challenger 2 main battle tanks is under discussion.
NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg pointed out that talks next week at the US military base in Ramstein will focus on further arms deliveries to Ukraine. Therefore, consultations should be held with the Ukrainian Defense Minister about what types of weapons are needed and how the Allies can make these weapons available. Stoltenberg emphasized that this not only concerns new weapon systems, but also ammunition and spare parts for systems already supplied. EU Council President Michel added that he shares von der Leyen’s position on the tank deliveries.
Source: Krone
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