On his 45th birthday, President Zelensky receives the most welcome gift:
dozens of Western tanks to reinforce Kiev's position on the ground
, at the gates of the second year of war and amid fears of a Russian spring offensive.
Even if it will take months to get them at the disposal of the Ukrainian armed forces.
In the aftermath of media rumors, the official ok of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has arrived to send 14 Leopard 2s to Ukraine, the green light for other countries to supply German-made tanks - above all Poland - and a promise to train Ukrainians in their use in Germany.
A few hours later, Washington announced the supply of 31 Abrams tanks, completing the Euro-American tandem of heavy weapons in favor of the
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is asking Western allies for long-range missiles and fighter planes for war in Ukraine, after Washington and Berlin gave the go-ahead for sending tanks to Kiev
.
"I spoke today with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. We need to open up the supply of long-range missiles to Ukraine, that's important: we also need to expand our cooperation in artillery" and make it possible "to supply aircraft for the Ukraine," Zelensky said in his daily speech reported by Ukrinform.
JOE BIDEN'S STATEMENT
"
They are the most powerful tanks in the world
", underlined Biden after having "a long conversation" with Scholz, French President Macron, British Prime Minister Sunak and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni representing Italy, which the American leader has thanked for sending artillery to Kiev.
"We are united in our support for Ukraine", explained the head of the White House, assuring that it was not Germany that "forced him to change his mind" about sending the Abrams, which do not represent "an offensive against Russia". he then made it clear.
Moscow, which has condemned the Western move, has a completely different idea
: Abrams in Ukraine "will burn in the same way as other" tanks, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, while the Russian ambassador to Germany called Scholz's decision "highly dangerous".
The go ahead with the Leopards is instead "a historic decision", according to German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
The chancellor highlighted how Berlin's choice came with "an internationally coordinated and agreed action" and reiterated his support for Kiev, but also the need to avoid "an escalation that leads to a clash between NATO and Russia ".
According to Spiegel, the European allies are ready to give 80 Leopard 2s to Ukraine, to form two battalions of 40 vehicles.
Twelve countries that would have agreed to supply German tanks, certainly among them Poland and Norway.
The Leopards are then joined by the 14 Challengers promised by London and now the American Abrams, which are "an important step towards the victory" of Kiev, according to Zelensky, who thanked Scholz and Biden, however urging them to hurry.
If on the one hand Ukraine rejoices, on the other hand the numbers and delivery times are worrying, "crucial" details for the Ukrainian president.
Pistorius said it would take "at least three months" for the Berlin Leopards to arrive in Ukraine
.
While the US Abrams will even have to be produced from scratch, and even here "it will take months", according to US officials.
The training of Ukrainian forces on American tanks "will begin soon", Biden also explained, warning however that they are very complex tanks and "it will take time".
Thus, Kiev has to wait.
But in the meantime, having collected the tanks, the Ukrainian government immediately restarted with the requests: "Now we also need F16s, F35s, Eurofighters, Tornadoes and warships", relaunched the Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister, Andrij Melnyk, receiving in this case Scholz's dry no.
Germany and NATO will not send fighters or soldiers
.
In fact, Western tanks are enough to make tensions with Moscow skyrocket.
And Kiev also thought about adding fuel to the fire, with intelligence upping the ante by suggesting that the Kremlin is within the range of Ukrainian military assets and for this reason Moscow would have started deploying air defense systems in the capital .
The trenchant Ukrainian presidential adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, later confirmed that "an internal escalation of the war in Russia is inevitable".
Statements that the Kremlin spokesman read as "a confirmation of the correctness" of the decision to launch the 'special military operation' in Ukraine, "to protect us from this danger".
And while Putin promises that Russia will not allow them to be threatened "
Alliance to go over 2% of defense investments, while the Pentagon announced a sixfold increase in the production of 155mm shells, those that Ukrainian forces need most.
The conflict will still be long.
Alliance to go over 2% of defense investments, while the Pentagon announced a sixfold increase in the production of 155mm shells, those that Ukrainian forces need most.
The conflict will still be long.