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Western tanks to kyiv: a devastating message for the Kremlin

2023-01-25T11:16:20.534Z


The Abrams and Leopards would represent a substantial battlefield upgrade for Ukraine and a decision with great political and military value.


Luck seems cast.

Der Spiegel

reported on Tuesday afternoon that the German government has made the decision to deliver the Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine;

Shortly before, US media indicated that the Joe Biden Administration is opting to supply kyiv with Abrams tanks, although the president has not yet endorsed the measure.

If these steps are formalized, it would be a transcendental development in the war, not only in the military field.

Also in the political, with a very hard message of Western union and determination for the Kremlin.

On a military level, the delivery of modern Western tanks is of great value for several reasons.

In the first place, because they are more effective than the Soviet-Russian ones that Ukraine currently has, some as its own material, others delivered by Eastern European allies who also had these models in their arsenals, and others more conquered in the battlefield to the invading forces.

Western tanks have greater agility, greater general reconnaissance capacity and therefore night movement, greater armor resistance, and better firing accuracy.

Within the western batch, the Leopard 2 are especially useful, because they are available in at least a dozen countries, with a set of some 2,000 units, which facilitates a very deep supply chain, which would allow operational homogeneity, uniformity in the Maintenance and spare parts logistics.

In addition, according to experts, its handling, maintenance and feeding in terms of fuel are more viable than the American Abrams.

The asset lies not only in the improvement that these devices would represent, but in the problems that, without them, Ukraine would soon face in terms of not only the progressive destruction by the enemy of the units it has, but also the depletion of parts. which serve to run Soviet tanks, which are obviously not in production in Western industries.

Translated to the battlefield, this injection of forces would undoubtedly change the balance on the ground significantly.

Naturally, its effects on the battle cannot be accurately predicted, but it is reasonable to think that Ukraine's war position would be substantially improved by the delivery of hundreds of Western tanks.

This war has a very strong terrestrial component.

Artillery plays a fundamental role, but the dynamism on the ground and the capacity for combined action that relies on tanks is a pillar of extraordinary importance.

In the second plane, the political one, the importance is not minor.

An agreement on this matter by Ukraine's Western allies would be a strong new message to the Kremlin.

It would be another big step on the path of support for kyiv, which began with the supply of small-range weapons and is now reaching one of the most significant elements in Western arsenals.

It is a demonstration of unity and commitment.

Again, if the reports are confirmed, the Joe Biden Administration plays a central role.

Berlin had maintained a reluctance for weeks to give the green light to the delivery of the Leopard, feeling uncomfortable in taking a leadership position.

Washington considered that the rational thing was that, in this section, kyiv was supported with German-produced tanks.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed last week in Davos the concept of allies being "interconnected" as the key to moving forward.

The news flow suggests that the turnaround in the United States has finally convinced Germany.

The West's political union in backing kyiv is possibly the worst news for the Kremlin.

The courage and skill of the Ukrainians would be insufficient without the financial and military backing of their partners.

The Leopard 2 and the Abrams are a devastating message for Moscow, confirmation that the West is neither dividing nor loosening up, as Vladimir Putin so desires.

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Source: elparis

All news articles on 2023-01-25

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