Posted on 01/23/2023 2:05:28 PM PST by dennisw
Europe to send modern armoured vehicles as Russia prepares new mobilisation
Kyiv and allies have been calling on Germany to send Leopard 2 battle tanks Germany has been reluctant, but foreign minister has signalled shift if position
Germany would not block Poland sending its Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, its foreign minister said, in a blow for Putin and his invading forces.
Ukrainian officials have been calling on Western allies to supply them the modern German-made armour for months, but Germany has held back from sending them or allowing other Nato countries to do so.
In apparent shift, Annalena Baerbock said her government would not block Poland if it were to send its Leopard 2 tanks — although Poland's prime minister later said Warsaw would seek Berlin's sign-off.
Leopard tanks, used by an array of Nato countries but whose transfer to Ukraine requires Berlin's sign-off, are seen by defence experts as the most suitable heavy battle tanks for Ukraine's needs — as Russia prepares for a new mobilisation.
German officials 'know how important these tanks are' and 'this is why we are discussing this now with our partners', she said.
Germany has been under heavy pressure to let Leopards go to Ukraine but the Social Democrat party of Chancellor Olaf Scholz is traditionally sceptical of military involvement and wary of sudden moves that could trigger Russian escalation.
Ms Baerbock's remarks appeared to go further than Scholz's comments at a summit in Paris on Sunday that all decisions on weapons deliveries would be made in co-ordination with allies, including the United States.
Ukraine says the heavily armoured battle tanks would give its ground troops more mobility and protection ahead of a new Russian offensive expected in coming months, and could give them the firepower they need to regain the momentum.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Suck on it Roooskie invaders.
Why can Germany tell Poland what to do?
Not a good history with that.
A dozen 30 year old tanks that no Ukrainian knows how to operate or maintain is a huge blow?
It’s not a huge blow, it’s a provocation. Why does Biden want WW III and why are the Poles being dragged into it?
Ask the Turks about how great those tanks are…. The Russian have already ‘cracked the code’ on those.
Lindsey and the Turtle will be ecstatic.
Bombs away !
I couldn't understand why Germany would have any say as to what Poland does, seeing as so many Poles were murdered by the Nazis. Poland shouldn't give two-shits what Russia or Germany thinks.
Question for you armored/tanker folks out there.
Ukraine has shown that tanks and armored vehicles can be a huge liability on the modern battlefield, what with all the anti-tank weaponry available these days. (Going on 1700 Russian tanks removed from the Russian inventory in a year, and 4 times as many vehicles total)
If countries supporting Ukraine start providing armor to Ukraine, whats to say that the Russians wont have similarly costly results taking out Ukraine armored forces? Are the western tanks better against Russian anti-tank weaponry? Is Russian anti-tank weaponry a real threat to a German tank or US armored vehicle?
Too bad nobody wants to send negotiators to arrange a peace treaty. Just weapons.
Well, it is the Daily Mail. 😏
NATO is giving Putin a Huge Blow???
Sounds about right.
Power play by Baerbock and Poland against Scholz. Now if Poland sends them and Scholz complains, Poland can claim they got permission from the German Foreign Minister, so Scholz would be forced to publicly gainsay her pronouncement. The Chancellor has been effectively bypassed and he can’t get rid of Baerbock with threatening his governing coalition.
Poland bought the tanks from Germany. Legally, they have to have permission to send them someplace else. Presumably, Germany wouldn’t want the tanks invading Germany.
Y’all don’t know how the Poles suffered under Soviet rule.
I don’t think they want to repeat that.
They suffered greatly under German rule, but that has largely been eliminated.
But if you lived next to the Russians today you’d be making lots of guns.
Russian ATGMs are not as good. The Turks suffered losses in Syria sending tanks unsupported by infantry, which I do not think the Ukrainians are stupid enough to do. The big problem is artillery, which means they would have to keep moving.
A tank, alone on the battlefield, is a rolling coffin.
A tank, in a combined arms group of mobile infantry, artillery, rotary wing support, etc, is a DEADLY rolling killing machine.
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