US has no problem with German tanks for Ukraine

Created: 2022-12-10 2:14 am

Ukrainian soldiers take position on the front line.

© Roman Chop/AP/dpa

Scholz does not want to single-handedly deliver western main battle tanks to Ukraine.

The most important NATO partner USA would have nothing against it.

A representative of the US government is now making this clear.

BERLIN - The US has no problem with supplying German Leopard 2 main battle tanks or German Patriot anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine.

"Our position is the same in both cases: It is Germany's decision what Germany does," US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman told journalists during her visit to Germany in Berlin.

Ukraine has been demanding the delivery of Leopard 2 main battle tanks from the federal government for months.

Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has repeatedly emphasized that Germany will not go it alone when it comes to supporting Ukraine with Western-style battle tanks.

So far, no NATO country has delivered such tanks.

Ukraine also wants US-type Patriot air defense systems, which Germany has so far only offered to NATO partner Poland to protect the border area with Ukraine.

Sherman said the federal government has done great things, shown leadership and made very tough decisions in providing military support to Ukraine.

"I assume that Germany will do whatever it thinks is appropriate and right for Germany."

Sherman held talks at the Chancellery and the Foreign Office on Friday.

Regarding US arms sales to Ukraine, she said: "No country has an endless supply.

So we're trying to provide Ukrainians with what they need.” However, Ukraine will not be encouraged or enabled by the US to attack Russian territory, she stressed.

There have been several drone attacks on Russian territory in the past few days, the originators of which are unclear.

nuclear threat

According to the US Deputy Secretary of State, the nuclear threat from Russia has decreased somewhat.

"I think the general consensus is that the risk is lower than it was some time ago," she said, adding, "We're talking about (Russia's President) Vladimir Putin." different signals are sent.

Putin had prepared his country for a long war, but at the same time emphasized that he would only use nuclear weapons defensively.

He rejected fears of a nuclear first strike.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) also said this week, like Sherman, that the nuclear threat had decreased.

“Russia has stopped threatening to use nuclear weapons.

In response to the international community marking a red line," Scholz told Funke Mediengruppe newspapers and French newspaper Ouest-France.

"For the moment we have hammered in a stake against it." dpa