Deciding to send tanks to Ukraine, Scholz met with Zelenskiy

In his Bundestag speech, German Chancellor Scholz stated that his country has provided support to Ukraine and will continue to do so in the future, saying: “We will also provide Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine.” saying.

Stating that the countries that provided the most arms support to Ukraine in Europe are Germany and England, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) Scholz said:

“If you think about all the decisions we have made, we can say that Germany will be at the forefront when it comes to supporting Ukraine. We are the country that does this with great energy and scale. We also decided to supply heavy weapons such as howitzer, multi-barreled rocket launcher and Gepard. The modern Iris T air defense system, the Patriot system are measures that will help Ukraine defend itself. All these decisions were made in harmony and in close cooperation with the allies. That’s why they’re effective and that’s why we were able to get them. That is the principle that this government has.”

Pointing out that there are many citizens who are concerned about the decisions made, the German Prime Minister said: “Therefore, I want to tell the citizens; Trust me and our government. We will continue to act in an internationally coordinated manner without allowing the risks to our country to grow in the wrong direction.” he said.

“UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES DO WE SHIP GROUND CARS”

Pointing out that there is, in fact, a war in Europe, Scholz said: “This war is taking place in the Ukraine, not far from Berlin. Therefore, we must support Ukraine in everything we do and, at the same time, make it clear that we are doing everything necessary and possible to prevent the war from becoming a war between Russia and NATO.” he performed the assessment of it.

“There are no mathematical certainties. No one knows exactly where the right or wrong decisions are. So we did it piece by piece, with the right and complete intent.” Chancellor Scholz stressed that this is a unique security principle for Europe and Germany.

In his speech, Scholz emphatically rejected the delivery of warplanes or the deployment of ground troops, continuing his speech as follows:

“I made it clear a long time ago that we are not talking about fighter jets, and I am doing the same here. Under no circumstances will we send ground troops. I said that NATO soldiers would not be directly involved in the Ukrainian war. Until now this has not been the case, and it will not be so in the future. Anyone can count on it.”

“THE FIRST BATTLE TANKS MAY BE IN THE UKRAINE IN ABOUT 3 MONTHS”

Making a statement after the Parliamentary Defense Committee meeting, Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Germany’s first Leopard main battle tanks could be in Ukraine in about 3 months.

The SPD politician stated that the education will start very quickly and the supply routes will become clear quickly. Describing the decision to hand over the tanks as “historic”, Pistorius said: “However, what is clear is that; we will not be part of a war.” He said.

SCHOLZ MEETS ZELENSKY

According to a written statement made by German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit, the meeting discussed the political, military and humanitarian situation in Ukraine.

Scholz reaffirmed his solidarity with Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression and stated that Germany will further increase military support for Ukraine in close coordination with European and international partners.

Zelenskiy also thanked Scholz for his decision to allocate Leopard 2 tanks to the Ukrainian Armed Forces and for allowing partner countries to supply these tanks to Ukraine from their own stocks.

The two leaders agreed to continue constructive consultations and keep in close contact.

Germany announced today that it will provide a squadron of 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks from its own inventory to Ukraine, and that the training of Ukrainian soldiers on Leopard tanks will begin rapidly in Germany, and it will give its approval for the shipment of Leopard-2. tanks to countries that want to deliver their Leopard-2 tanks to Ukraine from their inventory. .

LEOPARD TANKS

German-produced Leopard tanks are available in EU and NATO countries such as Denmark, Finland, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Spain, the Czech Republic, Turkey and Hungary.

There are approximately 2,670 Leopard 2 tanks in service with various armies around the world. Weighing approximately 64 tons, Leopard tanks can reach speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour and can hit targets up to 5,000 meters away with a 120-millimeter smoothbore gun.

European allies such as Poland and Finland announced that they were ready to send these tanks to Ukraine and awaited approval from Berlin.