German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius made an unannounced visit to Kiev. Meanwhile, the federal government announced it would approve the export of up to 178 Leopard 1 main battle tanks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy assessed the visit of German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius as “a sign of support for Ukraine”. “Ukraine is very interested in the support of one of the leaders of the European Union – Germany, especially in this difficult time for us,” Zelensky said in a statement from his presidential office on Tuesday night.
“We are thankful for the recent decisions, for all the decisions,” he said. Zelensky did not directly comment on the delivery of more than 100 Leopard 1 main battle tanks announced by Pistorius, but spoke of Germany’s recent decision to provide modern German-made main battle tanks.
parity on the battlefield
“The recent decisions about the tank coalition and the initiative of our European friends in cooperation with our Ministry of Defense cannot bring us an advantage, but parity on the battlefield.” But this depends on delivery times, quantities and modernity of the equipment, he explained.
Criticism: Germany is becoming a war party
The leader of the left parliamentary group, Dietmar Bartsch, criticized the German government’s decision to allow the export of up to 178 Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks to Ukraine.
The traffic light government is turning Germany into a war party, Bartsch told the German news agency on Tuesday. “Your armored hara-kiri is always penetrating new dimensions. Deliveries are foreseen in 2024, there must have been peace a long time ago.
Export of 178 main battle tanks to Ukraine approved
The German Ministries of Economic Affairs and Defense announced on Tuesday that the Ministry of Economic Affairs has approved the export of up to 178 Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks to Ukraine. “How many Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks will actually be delivered to Ukraine depends on the necessary repair work,” the statement said.
Pistorius (SPD) said on his first visit to Kiev on Tuesday that the Leopard 1 would be delivered in stages. 20 to 25 tanks should be delivered by the summer and as many as 80 by the end of the year. The aim is to have more than 100 in the course of the first or second quarter of 2024.
Ukraine promises “a lot of good news”
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov promised “a lot of good news” after a meeting with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. He made this known at a joint press conference in Kiev, the online portal “RBK Ukraina” reports.
“There will be a lot of good news. We talked not only about how to protect our airspace, but also about our future cooperation, even after victory,” said Reznikov.
Source: Krone
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