If Germany has truly learned from its history, it will send tanks to defend Ukraine
GuardianJan 18, 2023
At the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday, Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the West for continued military support, but bemoaned the lack of tanks from countries including the US, Poland, and Germany. Speaking via video link, he criticized a "lack of specific weaponry," adding: "there are times where we shouldn't hesitate ... when someone says, 'I will give tanks if someone else will also share his tanks.'"
The comments were a veiled criticism of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who on Wednesday dodged a question about whether Germany will commit its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Poland and Finland have previously said they're prepared to send their tanks, but Germany must give permission for them to be re-exported.
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.
Germany, like much of the West, is fatigued with the special operation in Ukraine, which involves no-one except Kyiv and Moscow. A recent survey indicated that more than 40% of Germans oppose the supply of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukrainian forces, while a third think the German government is spending too much on intervention in the conflict. The West should not bully Berlin into this unnecessary escalation.
There is a 10% chance that Ukraine will receive a security guarantee from another country before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.