Since the Russian invasion began, Ukraine has been asking its Western allies to send it tanks, but they have refused.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, President Volodymyr Zelensky has been calling on his Western allies to send him tanks. Western countries have refused to supply them.
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| Volodymyr Zelensky has been repeatedly calling on his Western allies to send him tanks. |
On Friday, Zelensky reiterated his call at a meeting of defense ministers from more than 50 countries in Ramstein, Germany.
The ministers agreed to provide Ukraine with more armored vehicles, air defense systems and ammunition.
But once again, no deal was reached to send the tanks Ukraine says it urgently needs.
Zelensky thanked his NATO allies for the military aid they will send, but said: "We will have to keep fighting for the supply of modern tanks."
"Every day we make it more evident that there is no alternative, that a decision must be made about the tanks," he said.
And on Monday, German Foreign Minister Anna Baerbock left a door ajar by saying she "will not stand in the way" of Poland if Poland decides to send tanks to Ukraine.
Why are Western tanks so important for Ukraine?
Spring offensive
Nearly 11 months after the conflict erupted, NATO officials believe Moscow is planning a new offensive in the spring with a boost in troop numbers, following the mobilization campaign that began in September.
Western officials believe that in the coming weeks Ukraine has a potential opportunity to push back Russian forces, who are running out of ammunition and reinforcements.
And tanks will be needed to overcome Russian defenses.
"Soon Ukraine will carry out a counteroffensive to recover its territory," explains Frank Ledwidge, who was an officer of the British Army in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and is now a professor of strategy and military capacity at the University of Portsmouth, England.
"Offensive operations on the ground require the combination of armor, which is tanks; artillery, such as cannons and mortars; and infantry."
"The best type of armor you can have to reclaim territory is heavy tanks. And the best tanks in the world are the Germans, the British and the Americans," says the expert.
Ukraine has said that only Western tanks will be able to break the impasse, particularly in the Donbas region, where the exchange of artillery and rockets by the two sides has become a fierce stalemate in recent weeks with numerous Ukrainian casualties.
Modern and sophisticated equipment
The Ukrainian army has tanks, but they are old Soviet-era vehicles, such as the T-72s, donated by their Eastern European allies or captured from the Russians.
And they have often been outnumbered as much as by Russian firepower.
What they are asking of their Western allies are modern tanks like the American-made M-1 Abrams, the British Challenger, or the German Leopard 2.
So far, Britain alone has promised to send 14 Challenger tanks, an "insufficient" number for Ukraine which is ordering 300 tanks.
Berlin said it would only send its tanks if Washington agrees to send its M-1 Abrams in a broader NATO package.
Germany has also so far not allowed other European countries to ship their Leopard 2s to Ukraine, something they cannot do without the German export license.
However, German Foreign Minister Anna Baerbock said Monday that it "will not stand in the way" of Poland if Poland decides to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
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| German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz is under pressure to allow the supply of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. |
In an interview with the BBC on Monday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba urged all countries willing to send Leopard 2 tanks to "officially and immediately request the German government to allow the delivery of these tanks to Ukraine."
According to a German government spokesman, no such request has arrived so far.
Washington, for its part, refuses to comply with Kyiv's request because, it says, its tanks are too sophisticated and difficult to maintain.
"The Abrams tank is a very complicated piece of equipment. It's expensive. Their training is difficult. It has a jet engine," Colin Kahl, the Pentagon's top security adviser, said recently.
As Frank Ledwidge points out, the West will not only have to deliver tanks, it will also need to supply training, spare parts and equipment, etc.
"You have to remember that tanks won't work properly and won't succeed without excellent training."
"Not only to know how to use the equipment themselves, but also how to work together so that all the elements of the attack – infantry, armor and artillery – work integrated," says the expert.
The "appreciated" Leopard 2
Although Kyiv is asking for tanks from all its allies, the model that is really key in its request is the German Leopard 2.
There are two main reasons why these tanks are so prized by Ukraine, says Frank Ledwidge.
"There is a large supply of Leopard 2, and of one version in particular, the Leopard 2A4, so there is a lot of capacity in Europe to help with maintenance and repair," says the former British Army officer.
Some estimates suggest that there are more than 2,000 Leopard tanks stored across Europe.
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| There are more than 2,000 German Leopard tanks stored throughout Europe. |
And there is also a large supply of ammunition, equipment and spare parts on the mainland, so they are easy to maintain.
"It is probably the most suitable western tank for Ukraine and they are superior to most Russian tanks," Ledwidge adds.
Dangerous climbing?
Russia has already warned Western countries that the supply of tanks to Ukraine will mark an "extremely dangerous" escalation in the conflict.
But experts don't believe this threat is substantiated.
Western allies have already supplied Ukraine with powerful artillery systems, such as HIMARS rocket launchers, with a range much longer than that of any tank.
The question that many are asking is whether Ukraine will really be able to change the course of this war with the tanks of its Western allies.
Former British Army officer Frank Ledwidge doesn't think tanks will be "the magic formula" for this conflict.
"No weapon system will change the course of this war," the expert said. "The Javelin (missiles) didn't make it, the anti-tank guns and HIMARS didn't make it."
"However, it is important to help the Ukrainians and tanks will play a role, along with all the other weaponry donated by the West, so that they can eventually prevail in this war."
At the meeting in Ramstein on Friday, Western countries pledged to hand over billions of dollars worth of weapons, albeit without the tanks Ukraine had hoped for.
The United States announced a new aid package of more than $2.5 billion this week, including Bradley armored vehicles, Stryker personnel carriers and Avenger air defense systems, among other supplies.
And nine other European nations also pledged more support after meeting Thursday in Estonia.
But Frank Ledwidge believes that in this chapter of the conflict there is a more important aspect to highlight.
It is the fact that with the new weaponry that will be sent by Western countries, with or without tanks, the Ukrainian army is getting closer and closer to becoming a NATO standard force.
"This is a very important moment because it implies that Ukraine has already begun the shift to convert its army from a predominantly Soviet team-based force to a NATO team-based force," Ledwidge said.
"Gradually Ukraine will run out of spare parts and ammunition for the Soviet equipment it possesses. And for its operations in the coming months to be successful, it will need to transition to standard NATO military equipment.
"This is the real importance of this moment and that must be worrying Russia," the expert said.
Credit: laopinion
Photo credits: Getty Images
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