Berlin, US set to deliver battle tanks to Ukraine as the war prolongs

German-made Leopard tanks
German-made Leopard tanks

According to media reports, Germany and the United States are about to announce their plans to send two battle tanks to Ukraine, the Leopard 2 and M1 Abrams respectively, this comes after many days of heated negotiations.

Although official confirmation has not yet been made, two US officials informed the Reuters news agency that the US was prepared to begin the delivery of the M1 Abrams.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz also reportedly promised to deliver at least one company of the much anticipated Leopard 2 tanks, according to German media outlet The Spiegel.

Scholz had been under a lot of pressure and criticism for denying the Ukrainian army’s request to send out German-made tanks, which they believed were essential to their chances of winning the battle. According to a license agreement, foreign nations that have purchased Leopard 2 tanks must obtain approval from Berlin before sending the tanks abroad.

Battle tank, M1 Abram
M1 Abram tank

‘Blatant provocation’

The possible deliveries of battle tanks by Washington to Ukraine will be a “another blatant provocation” against Russia, Anatoly Antonov, Russia’s ambassador to the US, has said.

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“It is obvious that Washington is purposefully trying to inflict a strategic defeat on us,” Antonov said in remarks published on the embassy’s Telegram messaging app.

“If the United States decides to supply tanks, then justifying such a step with arguments about ‘defensive weapons’ will definitely not work. This would be another blatant provocation against the Russian Federation.”



 

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