Following weeks of hesitation, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that his government will provide Ukraine with Leopard 2 battle tanks, as well as approve requests by other countries to do the same.."This decision follows our well-known line of supporting Ukraine to the best of our ability," Scholz said following a cabinet meeting in Berlin. "Germany will always be at the forefront when it comes to supporting Ukraine," he later said..Germany will give Ukraine a total of 14 tanks from its own stocks. Germany and its allies are aiming to give the country a total of 88 tanks, or two battalions..The German-manufactured Leopard 2 battle tank, which first came into service in 1979, is used by a dozen countries, including Canada. The tanks have seen action in Kosovo, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Syria..Countries that have purchased Leopards are not allowed to export them to third countries without the permission of the German government. Many of Ukraine's allies have become impatient with Germany, accusing the country of blocking the exporting of the tanks to Ukraine..While Germany supplied a large amount of military equipment to Ukraine to assist in its war against Russia, it hesitated to send battle tanks. The country had a post-World War II tradition of anti-militarism, while Scholz feared the export of tanks would be an escalation of the conflict..The German announcement came shortly after United States officials said a preliminary agreement had been reached to send 31 US-made M1 Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine. The administration previously argued the tanks were too difficult for Ukrainian troops to operate..Ekkehard Brose, head of the German military's Federal Academy for Security Policy, said by tying the United States into the deal to send tanks to Ukraine, Europe won't be facing off against Russia alone..Despite mounting pressure, Canada has not yet committed to sending any of its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Canada acquired roughly 112 tanks from Germany in 2007..When asked about sending tanks to Ukraine during a press conference on Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada stepped up "significantly" to support Ukraine's territorial integrity against Russia's "illegal and horrific invasion." .“We will continue to be there to give whatever support we can to Ukraine. I won’t be making an announcement today, but I can tell you we are looking very, very closely at what more we can do to support Ukraine.”.In response to Germany and the United States' commitment to send Ukraine tanks, Russian spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said it was a "a rather disastrous plan."."I am convinced that many specialists understand the absurdity of this idea," Peskov told reporters Wednesday.."These tanks will burn down just like all the other ones.... Except they cost a lot, and this will fall on the shoulders of European taxpayers."
