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Russia-Ukraine war: USA apparently wants to deliver heavy weapons worth billions to Kyiv

2023-01-18T22:52:45.963Z


According to media reports, the United States could send larger quantities of wheeled armored vehicles to Ukraine in a new package. However, Abrams main battle tanks should not be included - although Chancellor Scholz brought them into the Leopard debate.


Enlarge image

Stryker wheeled tanks at the Grafenwöhr military training area (in February 2022)

Photo: Armin Weigel / dpa

According to media reports, the United States is putting together a new, extensive military package for Ukraine.

According to the AP news agency, it is expected to be worth up to $ 2.6 billion.

For the first time, Stryker wheeled armored personnel carriers could also be there, AP and Reuters reported.

According to the AP, the US government is expected to supply nearly a hundred of these combat vehicles, as well as at least 50 Bradley armored personnel carriers.

The exact numbers could still change in the course of the final vote, it said.

According to the information, the US M1 Abrams main battle tanks desired by Ukraine are not included in the package.

US Secretary of Defense Colin Kahl told journalists in the evening that the Abrams tank was a "very complicated" piece of armament.

It is expensive, requires difficult training and consumes a lot of fuel with its turbine drive.

"It's not the easiest system to maintain."

According to the AP, the US government plans to announce the package later this week.

This Friday, Ukraine's western allies are discussing further arms deliveries in Ramstein, Rhineland-Palatinate.

The new Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) will take part for Germany.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that he was expecting a signal that "more heavier weapons and more modern weapons" were available for Ukraine.

Leopard delivery only if US promises for Abrams?

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is said to have commented on possible main battle tank deliveries in a telephone conversation with US President Joe Biden.

Scholz is said to have made it clear that Germany could only deliver if the USA in turn made Abrams main battle tanks available to Ukraine, reported the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" and the "Bild".

Biden had apparently not yet made a decision in the conversation on Tuesday.

The federal government did not want to comment on a SPIEGEL request about the reports in the evening.

In the debate about arms deliveries since the beginning of the war almost a year ago, Scholz has always emphasized that Germany does not go it alone, but always coordinates important steps closely with its partners - especially with the USA and France.

In the past few days, the pressure on Scholz to make a decision to clear the way for deliveries of Leopard 2 tanks had increased significantly.

The Leopard 2 is considered one of the best main battle tanks in the world.

The Ukrainians want to use him to break through enemy lines in what has recently been a rather static trench warfare.

20 countries worldwide have the modern tanks that are produced in Germany.

The federal government must approve any transfer – no matter from which country.

This is usually stipulated in the purchase contract.

Poland and Finland have already agreed to make Leopard 2 available to the European network.

Great Britain has announced that it will supply other types of main battle tanks to Ukraine.

However, their Challenger 2 are comparable to the Leopard 2.

US open to Ukrainian strikes on Crimea?

Meanwhile, the United States is also said to be more open about another military issue: So far, it has not been willing to supply Ukraine with weapons that it could use to try to recapture Crimea, which had been annexed by Russia.

According to media reports, this position is now softening a little.

After months of discussions with Kyiv, the Biden government now sees that Ukraine needs the military option to attack Russian positions in Crimea, the New York Times quotes unspecified US officials as saying.

This is happening even though such a step could increase the risk of escalation, it said.

The United States "never claimed that Crimea was off-limits to Ukrainian strikes against Russian troops," the Reuters news agency quoted a senior US Defense Department official as saying.

According to the New York Times report, the administration under the US President has come to the conclusion that it could strengthen Kiev's position in possible future negotiations if Ukraine were militarily able to assert Russian control in occupied Crimea to threaten.

In addition, "fears that the Kremlin would retaliate with a tactical nuclear weapon have receded," writes the newspaper.

At the same time, officials and experts warn that the nuclear threat persists.

According to the information, President Biden is not yet ready to provide Ukraine with long-range missile systems that Kiev's troops could use to attack Russian facilities in Crimea.

kko/Reuters/dpa/AP/AFP

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2023-01-18

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