FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 25, 2023
Contact: press@defensepriorities.org
WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Germany confirmed that it will approve the transfer of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. The news follows reports that U.S. officials have agreed to deliver Abrams tanks to Ukraine, opening the door for other countries to follow suit. Defense Priorities Senior Fellow and Military Expert Lt. Col. Daniel L. Davis issued the following statement in response:
“Ukrainian leaders, who have been pleading for modern NATO tanks for months, will no doubt be pleased by the U.S. decision to send a number of Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine. But American citizens deserve answers to some critical questions from their leaders before the plan moves forward.
“First, what does Washington expect to accomplish with the commitment of these tanks—and the German Leopard 2 tanks that Berlin is likely now to offer? What is the strategy? Early reports suggest that it could take a year or more for all these Abrams to make it to Ukraine, so any expectations that these tanks will have an immediate impact on the fighting needs to be tempered. There are roughly 2,000 Leopard 2 tanks in Germany’s inventory and among roughly 12 other European states, many of which may be available for a sooner delivery. Is the US goal to allow Ukraine to drive Russian troops from its soil or simply to maximize costs to Russia?
“Second, are we so sure this new armor for Ukraine will not cause Russian escalation we’d like to avoid? How do we know? How much do we trust our leaders to play with fire, or literally, nuclear war?
“Lastly, when does the burden of arming and funding shift to the European states more directly affected by Russia’s threat? The United States has already provided the overwhelming majority of all military and financial support for Ukraine. It makes little sense for America—rather than our wealthy and capable allies in Europe—to take on the lion’s share of responsibility for European defense.”
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