![]() Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, speaking after the meeting, said he and German counterpart Boris Pistorius “had a frank discussion on Leopard 2s … to be continued.” Both the military and political leadership in Ukraine were hoping that the Ramstein meeting of Ukraine’s partners on Friday would greenlight their delivery, but Germany held back. Why Germany is struggling to stomach the idea of sending tanks to UkraineĬhief among their requests is the Leopard 2, which is relatively easy to maintain and operate, and in service with many NATO nations. Therefore, Western assistance is extremely important.” And our next actions will depend on their combat readiness. They are much better than the Soviet models and can help us advance,” Naiev said. “Of course, we need a large number of Western tanks. Ukrainian officials say they need several hundred main battle tanks – not only to defend their present positions but also to take the fight to the enemy in the coming months. ![]() And that means not his ancient T-72s but more modern machines such as German Leopard 2s and British Challengers. ![]() Some of the training takes place in the eerily quiet town of Pripyat, deserted since the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986.Īs the troops are put through their paces, Lieutenant General Serhiy Naiev takes delivery of a dozen pick-up trucks armed with heavy machine guns and anti-aircraft guns, a crowd-funded initiative to help Ukraine repel Iranian-made Shahed drones, which have caused so much damage to Ukraine’s power infrastructure.īut Naiev, a stocky and affable commander, believes the next phase of this war will be about tanks. A few kilometers from the Belarus border, Ukrainian forces are training for what they expect to be a brutal spring.Īgeing T-72 tanks – some twice the age of their crews – fire off rounds into the mist, while ground troops practise storming abandoned buildings. ![]()
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