Status: 15.01.2024, 18:48 PM
By: Patrick Mayer
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The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense posts a video at X showing heavy weapons from Germany and the United States. At the same time, military aid to Kiev is currently faltering enormously.
Donbass – How far will the Kremlin regime ultimately go? While a Russian Duma politician is openly threatening NATO member Poland, Moscow's soldiers are not succeeding in smashing a Ukrainian bridgehead on the Dnipro.
Defense against Russia's war of aggression: Arms deliveries for Ukraine are stuck.
Ukraine's marines are too stubbornly defending their positions there, in the southern Kherson region, against Russia's attack in violation of international law. And not only there. On the eastern front, units near Avdiivka, Kreminna and Kupyansk are withstanding Russian attacks in the Ukraine war. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense from Kiev has now shared a martial video on X (formerly Twitter) showing a "German American steel team". That's what the tweet says.
Specifically, two massive U.S. military Humvee jeeps and a Leopard 1A5 main battle tank from Germany can be seen. But: The video has two catches. While military aid from the United States is currently completely blocked, deliveries of heavy weapons from Germany are progressing slowly. Especially when it comes to the "Leos".
Heavy weapons for Ukraine: tank deliveries for Kyiv are faltering considerably
To understand this, it helps to take a look at the list of military support services provided by the traffic light coalition, which is available on the website of the Federal Government. According to data on January 15, Germany has delivered a total of 30 Leopard 1A5s to the Ukrainians in recent months, after 2023 modern Leopard 18A2 tanks were already sent in the spring of 6.
In the meantime, however, most of these "Leos" 2 have remained on the battlefield or are being serviced in the repair hub of the German armaments industry in Lithuania - far away from the front. And: According to the Federal Ministry of Defense, 2023 Leopard 80A1s were supposed to be handed over to the Ukrainian armed forces by the end of 5.
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Tanks for Ukraine: Armaments company Rheinmetall prepares Leopard 1A5
This goal was clearly missed, while the arms company Rheinmetall is currently processing "Leos" 1 from industrial stocks for the Ukrainians. And while at least the number of Marder infantry fighting vehicles delivered is now 90. At the beginning of November, Berlin had delivered ten "Leos" 1s, but since then nothing has happened with regard to the heavy battle tanks. Fittingly, Rheinmetall published a press release in mid-November, according to which the German arms company will deliver 25 refurbished Leopard 1A5s this year. That would be 55 pieces in total.
And thus too little, this is also illustrated by the video of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. After all, the two Humvees flank the "Leo" 1 with their heavy machine guns. At the moment, however, there is no sign of closed tank formations in the Ukrainian army, while at the same time the olive-green painted "Leo" is quite easy to see from a distance in the white snow. For example, the Ukrainians will not be able to launch a new offensive in the spring of 2024 because they simply do not have the heavy equipment to do so.
Wrestling over military aid for Ukraine: US President Joe Biden (left) and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). © IMAGO/Sammy Minkoff
Arms deliveries to Ukraine: Republicans block military aid in the US Congress
Security expert Dr. Christian Mölling of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) had already urged the West at the end of November to equip Ukraine for a new offensive. Hesitation could have devastating long-term consequences for Europe, the political scientist said in ZDF's "heute journal". "It must be said relatively clearly that if we do not help Ukraine and thus continue to endanger our own security, we will probably face the consequences in five or six years," he said at the time. Once again, a great deal depends on the Americans.
While the primaries for the 2024 presidential election have begun in the USA, incumbent Joe Biden (Democrat) had recently even warned the blocking Republicans of a possible direct military conflict between NATO and Russia. Republicans are putting the brakes on planned military aid of more than 61 billion US dollars in Congress. And every day they do that puts even more pressure on Ukraine. Powerful videos at X or not. (pm)