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Germany moves to send battle tanks to Ukraine
Chancellor Olaf Scholz is likely to announce the decision as part of an address in the German parliament on Wednesday.
By Hans von der Burchard January 24, 2023 7:18 pm CET

BERLIN — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is set to announce the delivery of German Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine on Wednesday, two officials with knowledge of the matter told POLITICO.

That decision is a significant U-turn and potentially a decisive moment in the war as it should pave the way for a broader coalition of countries to send battle tanks to the frontlines against the Russian invaders. As Leopard 2 tanks are made in Germany, Berlin has to give its permission for their re-export.

Berlin has long resisted sending the Leopard 2s, wanting Washington to take the first step in sending heavy armor. That kind of joint action finally appeared to be imminent on Tuesday, with two U.S. officials saying the administration of President Joe Biden was leaning toward sending “a significant number” of M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. An announcement on the U.S. tanks could come as early as this week.

Scholz’s announcement is expected to be made official on Wednesday in an address to the German parliament at 1 p.m. According to one of the officials, Germany will also confirm that it will allow other countries such as Poland to send their Leopard tanks to Ukraine. Warsaw on Tuesday said it submitted a long-awaited official request to re-export its Leopards.

Leading lawmakers from the two coalition partners of Scholz’s Social Democratic Party, the Greens and the Free Democratic Party (FDP), welcomed the volte-face by the chancellor.

The FDP’s Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann told POLITICO that “the decision was tough and took far too long” but had ultimately become “inevitable.”