German Chancellor Olaf Scholz delivers a speech in front of a Leopard 2 tank during a visit to a military base of the German army Bundeswehr in Bergen, Germany on October 17, 2022
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has finally decided to send a battalion of sought-after Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, Der Spiegel reported on Tuesday, after weeks of pressure from Ukraine and European allies. 

The decision, which has not yet been formally announced by Berlin, concerns at least one company of Leopard 2 A6 tanks that will be provided out of Bundeswehr stocks, Spiegel claimed.

Other allies that have stocks of the German-made battle tanks will also be able to supply units to Kyiv, which has long called for increased firepower to take the fight to Vladimir Putin’s troops in the east of Ukraine. 

It comes as US officials claimed the Biden administration is considering dropping its opposition to sending a company of M1 Abrams battle tanks, telling Reuters the decision could come later this week.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz delivers a speech in front of a Leopard 2 tank during a visit to a military base of the German army Bundeswehr in Bergen, Germany on October 17, 2022

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz delivers a speech in front of a Leopard 2 tank during a visit to a military base of the German army Bundeswehr in Bergen, Germany on October 17, 2022

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz delivers a speech in front of a Leopard 2 tank during a visit to a military base of the German army Bundeswehr in Bergen, Germany on October 17, 2022

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz Seen With Leopard 2 Tank

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz Seen With Leopard 2 Tank

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz Seen With Leopard 2 Tank 

Britain's Challenger 2 tank moves at the Tapa Military Camp, in Estonia, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023

Britain's Challenger 2 tank moves at the Tapa Military Camp, in Estonia, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023

Britain’s Challenger 2 tank moves at the Tapa Military Camp, in Estonia, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023

If the decision to green-light the delivery of tanks is confirmed by Berlin, it would mark a significant upping of the ante in military aid to Ukraine.

Officials earlier on Tuesday said they would decide ‘shortly’ on whether to authorise the export of the powerful German-made battle tanks to Kyiv and begin training Ukrainian armed forces on how to operate them. 

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and his entourage have pleaded for months for Western tanks, which they say will give their forces the firepower and mobility to pierce Russian defensive lines and recapture occupied territory. 

And while Western nations have pledged ever more sophisticated military hardware in recent months to help Ukraine repel Russia’s invasion, NATO nations were reluctant to authorise the delivery of such heavy armour – until British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak green-lit a delivery of Challenger 2 tanks. 

Earlier on Tuesday, Poland submitted a formal request to Germany asking Scholz’ government to approve the export of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and to allow other European allies to do the same.

‘I hope that this answer from Germany will come quickly, because the Germans are delaying, dodging, acting in a way that is difficult to understand,’ Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told a news conference. 

‘We can see that they do not want to help Ukraine defend itself in a wider way.’

German soldiers of the NATO Extended Presence Battlegroup with their 'Leopard 2' battle tank participiate in the military exercise Crystal Arrow 2021 in Adazi Militari base, Latvia, 26 March 2021

German soldiers of the NATO Extended Presence Battlegroup with their 'Leopard 2' battle tank participiate in the military exercise Crystal Arrow 2021 in Adazi Militari base, Latvia, 26 March 2021

German soldiers of the NATO Extended Presence Battlegroup with their ‘Leopard 2’ battle tank participiate in the military exercise Crystal Arrow 2021 in Adazi Militari base, Latvia, 26 March 2021

Britain's Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, centre, speaks to media during his visit the Tapa Military Camp, in Estonia, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023. Wallace said his country would send at least three batteries of AS-90 artillery, armoured vehicles, thousands of rounds of ammunition and 600 Brimstone missiles, as well as the squadron of Challenger 2 tanks

Britain's Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, centre, speaks to media during his visit the Tapa Military Camp, in Estonia, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023. Wallace said his country would send at least three batteries of AS-90 artillery, armoured vehicles, thousands of rounds of ammunition and 600 Brimstone missiles, as well as the squadron of Challenger 2 tanks

Britain’s Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, centre, speaks to media during his visit the Tapa Military Camp, in Estonia, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023. Wallace said his country would send at least three batteries of AS-90 artillery, armoured vehicles, thousands of rounds of ammunition and 600 Brimstone missiles, as well as the squadron of Challenger 2 tanks

Germany’s Leopards, fielded by armies across Europe, are available in large numbers and easy to deploy and maintain, making them well-suited to warfare on the frontlines in Ukraine.

But Scholz’s Social Democrats have until now held back, wary of moves that could spur Russia to escalate the war, and what they see as a risk of the NATO alliance being drawn into the conflict.

Signals from US officials that a company of M1 Abrams tanks could soon be on the way to Ukraine may have helped Scholz to take the leap. 

A decision from Washington to send tanks in lockstep with Germany would assuage Scholz’s concerns that the Kremlin could retaliate against Germany alone. 

US officials who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity said the decision to send Abrams tanks could be announced as early as Wednesday, but added that details are still being worked out. 

One official said the tanks would be bought under an upcoming Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative package, which provides longer-range funding for weapons and equipment to be purchased from commercial vendors.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius indicated on Tuesday that the moment of truth could be imminent, saying he had ‘expressly encouraged partner countries that have Leopard tanks that are ready for deployment to train Ukrainian forces on these tanks’.

‘I expect a decision to be made shortly,’ he added following talks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Berlin.

Ukrainian service members look for and collect unexploded shells after a fighting with Russian raiding group in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on February 26, 2022

Ukrainian service members look for and collect unexploded shells after a fighting with Russian raiding group in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on February 26, 2022

Ukrainian service members look for and collect unexploded shells after a fighting with Russian raiding group in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on February 26, 2022

Vladimir Putin meets with the Belgorod region governor Vyacheslav Gladkov at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow on January 24, 2023

Vladimir Putin meets with the Belgorod region governor Vyacheslav Gladkov at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow on January 24, 2023

Vladimir Putin meets with the Belgorod region governor Vyacheslav Gladkov at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow on January 24, 2023

Stoltenberg welcomed the ‘clear message’ from the minister because it ‘will take some time’ to ready the tanks and train Ukrainian soldiers to use them after a decision on their delivery.

‘We must provide heavier and more advanced systems to Ukraine, and we must do it faster,’ Stoltenberg said, adding that he expected a decision by Berlin ‘soon’.

Moscow shows no signs of changing course in its invasion, Stoltenberg added, noting that Russia has mobilised more than 200,000 troops and is acquiring new weapons from countries like North Korea or Iran.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the delivery of German tanks to Ukraine would ‘bring nothing good to the future relationship’ between Berlin and Moscow.

‘They will leave a lasting mark,’ he warned, playing upon Scholz’s fears that a further commitment to arm Ukraine would turn the Kremlin further against Berlin.

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