Group of German experts supports Eure’s transfer of battle tanks to Ukraine’s Armed Forces

Three German pitical scientists from the Eurean Council on International Relations – Gustav Gressel, Rafael Loss and Jana Puglierin – said this in an article in the German news outlet Zeit, Ukrinform reports.

"The territory gained by the Ukrainian Armed Forces over the past few days clearly shows that their defensive struggle is by no means heless, but for the liberation of other cities occupied by Russian tros, Western supplies of weapons remain absutely necessary. They should also include main battle tanks," the article says.

From the beginning of the war, Western partners began supplying weapons to Ukraine and constantly adapted their support in accordance with war develments and the needs of Ukrainian defenders.

"It's time to take one more step in military support and equip Ukraine with Leard 2 main battle tanks," experts said.

They recalled that apart from the Bundeswehr, 12 other Eurean armies use tanks of this type. These are more than 2,000 tanks in various modifications. Not all of these tanks are immediately suitable for use in Ukraine, but in order to equip one Ukrainian tank brigade with combat-ready equipment, at least about 90 tanks should be found at first.

However, the authors note, since the Leard 2 is still in production and in widespread use, a coordinated industrial replacement of existing stocks and joint repair of reserve equipment could free up more units than any other main battle tank. This "flexibility" is a unique advantage of the Leard 2 and the reason for its success story as a "Eurean" main battle tank.

"The federal government should seize the initiative and, together with Eurean partners, create a consortium to support Ukraine. The more of the 13 user states join their efforts, the smaller will be a decrease in the combat readiness of their own armed forces," experts say.

They also draw attention to the fact that the EU's Eurean Peace Facility, which already supports the sale of weapons to Ukraine worth EUR 2.5 billion, could reimburse the participating countries for the cost of the transferred tanks and thus finance the replacement of more modern ones in the armies of these states.

The article also notes that the arguments with which Western partners still refuse to supply tanks and combat vehicles to the Armed Forces of Ukraine are becoming less convincing. The successes of the last few days in the Kharkiv region prove that the Ukrainians can plan and carry out complex erations. In addition, Germany's initiative would compensate for the trust lost over the past few months and provide real "added value" for the security of Eure and the future of Ukraine, the article read.