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US General Christopher Cavoli: "There is no single weapon system that is a silver bullet"
Photo: Virginia Mayo/AP
In Germany, the debate is ongoing as to whether battle tanks should be supplied to Ukraine to defend against the Russian war of aggression.
A counter-argument: This would lead to a new level of escalation.
However, the supreme commander of NATO forces in Europe considers the possible risks to be manageable, as he has now said.
“Can we manage the risk?
Yes absolutely.
I think we can deal with risk in general," said US General Christopher Cavoli at a press conference after a meeting of the NATO military committee.
He made it clear that he sees no great danger that Russia would respond to the delivery of Western battle tanks to Ukraine with military strikes against NATO countries.
Asked about the importance of supplying Western tanks like the Leopard 2 to Ukraine, committee chairman Rob Bauer said tanks are an important weapon system to fight Russian troops and drive them out of occupied territory: "The Russians fight with tanks , that's why the Ukrainians also need tanks.« On the one hand, they are needed to be able to keep up with the enemy, but on the other hand, they are also needed to recapture territory occupied by Russia.
"There is no single weapon system that is a silver bullet," Cavoli said.
A "balance of all systems" is needed to defend Ukraine against Russia.
However, it is true that modern Western tank technology surpasses that of Russia.
Leopard 2 for Ukraine?
The defense ministers of several dozen countries, including the new German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, will meet on Friday at the US Ramstein Air Force Base in Rhineland-Palatinate to discuss further military support for Ukraine.
It is eagerly awaited if the delivery of Leopard 2 tanks will be announced.
The federal government has so far been reluctant to meet such demands.
Allies have been calling for the tanks to be delivered for some time.
The federal government plays a key role in the debate because the Leopard 2 tanks were developed in Germany and cannot be transferred to Ukraine by other countries without German approval.
In the end, the Chancellor's decision could depend primarily on the behavior of the nuclear power USA.
There were consistent reports that if the Americans were to send Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine, Scholz would only supply Leopards.
According to "Politico", the United States is not currently planning to do so.
The two-day meeting of NATO's supreme military body dealt with topics such as the ongoing strengthening of the eastern flank and the military situation in Ukraine.
Participants included the chiefs of staff of the member states.
ptz/dpa