If Germany has truly learned from its history, it will send tanks to defend Ukraine
GuardianJan 18, 2023
Germany faced mounting pressure to commit its coveted Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine as US Sec. of Defense Lloyd Austin hosted Western defense ministers at America's Ramstein air base in southwest Germany on Friday. German defense minister Boris Pistorius — who met his US counterpart Austin on his first day in office — has told German broadcaster ARD he is, "pretty sure we will get a decision on this in the coming days."
Ahead of the meeting, Ukrainian Pres. Voldymyr Zelenskyy singled out Germany for its hesitance to provide the tanks or allow willing countries to re-export them. "Now we are waiting for a decision from one European capital that will activate the prepared chains of cooperation on tanks," he said, adding that he expected "powerful decisions" to be made at the Ramstein meeting.
These meetings must see Germany — which has a unique historical responsibility to uphold the sovereignty and freedom of Ukraine — consent to the use of Leopard 2 tanks by Kyiv. Ukrainians were some of the greatest victims of Hitler and Stalin, and Berlin now has the opportunity to intercede on Putin's war of terror against an innocent people. The whole of the West will judge the courage of Germany on whether it allows tanks to be sent to Kyiv.
By sending more and more advanced weaponry to Ukraine, America's policy of seeking the strategic defeat of Russia is leading the world to a catastrophe. The US and NATO are increasingly intertwined in this conflict and if this policy continues, we'll be headed for nuclear Armageddon. Is this the path we should be taking?
There is a 2% chance that Ukraine will officially recognize a former Ukrainian territory (Luhansk, Donetsk or Crimea) as independent before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.