FAQ
Status: 01/19/2023 11:10 a.m
Ukraine has been pushing for the delivery of German Leopard battle tanks for months. Why is it so valuable for Kyiv? What distinguishes the “Leopard” – and what could be a problem?
the initial situation
So far, no country has delivered western-style main battle tanks to Ukraine. Several NATO countries have now announced this, such as Great Britain. The British promised 14 “Challenger 2” heavy tanks. Above all, Ukraine is pushing for German “Leopard 2” type battle tanks. Poland and other EU and NATO countries would probably supply their own “Leopard” tanks to the Ukraine, but they would need approval from the manufacturing country Germany. And the federal government has not yet granted it. Chancellor Scholz has so far blocked the delivery of German “Leopard 2” battle tanks – with the argument that Germany should not go it alone. However, should the United States supply Ukraine with its own “Abrams” main battle tanks, Germany would also provide “Leopards”.
But it doesn’t look like that so far. Reasons for this could be the extensive maintenance and training on the “Abrams” battle tank. The tank is a “very complicated” piece of armament. It is expensive, requires difficult training and consumes a lot of fuel with its turbine drive. “It’s not the easiest system to maintain,” said US Secretary of Defense Colin Kahl.
There could be movement on the tank issue on Friday. Then the NATO defense ministers and other countries will meet to discuss increasing military aid to Ukraine. It is the first appearance of the new German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on the international stage.
Why does Ukraine want “Leopard” tanks?
So far, Ukraine has mostly relied on Soviet-era T-72 tanks. She also captured some of them from Russian troops. Kyiv demands the delivery of German “Leopard 2” battle tanks. The model is technically superior to the Russian tanks. The Ukrainians want to use him to break through opposing lines in what has recently been a rather static trench warfare. The tanks are necessary “to save our energy infrastructure, to save the Ukrainians from the crimes,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba emphasized during a visit to his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock in eastern Ukraine: “The longer this decision takes, the more people will die due to the Ukrainian army’s lack of armament.”
The country attacked by Russia is almost completely dependent on Western arms supplies. In addition to light weapons and ammunition, the federal government has already delivered heavy self-propelled howitzers, anti-aircraft systems and the “Gepard” anti-aircraft tank. In addition, the delivery of 40 “Marder” type armored personnel carriers was promised by the end of March. From the point of view of the reservists’ association of the Bundeswehr, this also speaks for the delivery of “Leopard” tanks. The “Marder” tanks would be most effective in combination with the “Leopard”.
The training of Ukrainian soldiers on the “marders” takes at least four to eight weeks. “We should start training on the Leopard 2 alongside the training of Ukrainian soldiers on the Marder infantry fighting vehicle,” demanded FDP defense expert Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann. She has been pleading for the delivery of German battle tanks to Ukraine for months.
What makes the “Leopard” so valuable?
It weighs a good 60 tons, is around ten meters long and is considered one of the best and most modern main battle tanks in the world: the current version of the main battle tank is the “Leopard 2 A7”. It has been delivered since 2014. German defense contractor Krauss-Maffei Wegmann has built more than 3,500 Leopard 2 tanks since production began in 1978.
Its primary weapon is a 120mm smoothbore cannon. According to the Bundeswehr, this means that targets at a distance of several thousand meters can be hit while standing or moving. Its maximum combat distance is therefore 5000 meters. According to the Bundeswehr, the advantages of the “Leopard” lie in the combination of firepower, armor protection and mobility. It is up to 70 km/h fast. The “Leopard 2” runs with a comparatively more economical engine that burns diesel.
In addition to Germany, at least 14 other nations use it in various adapted versions.
Why does Germany matter?
Germany plays a key role in the “Leopard” debate, and not just when it comes to its own main battle tanks. The “Leopard” was developed in Germany and as a rule the transfer of German-made armaments to third parties must be approved. According to the Federal Ministry of Economics, re-export permits are required. The requirements for this are regulated in the War Weapons Control Act and in the Foreign Trade Act.
Poland in particular is exerting political pressure for a delivery of “Leopard” battle tanks, but there are also calls from Finland. In the past, applications for the transfer of weapons of war were often just a formality after political details had been clarified – and are therefore not to be understood as a mandatory first step.
Can Germany deliver “Leopard” tanks at all?
This is debatable. The armaments company Rheinmetall recently pointed out that it would take about a year to repair old “Leopard 2” tanks. In the “FAZ” Rheinmetall boss Armin Papperger recently put his statement into perspective. The armaments industry could deliver faster.
Germany would have to access the stocks of the Bundeswehr. How many tanks there are there is unclear. For reasons of military security, they do not want to give more precise information on strengths, equipment of associations or units. The Bundeswehr itself has a target stock of 320 “Leopard 2A7V” main battle tanks for 2025, but has even given up all older models such as the “2A4” version.
Former Bundeswehr General Hans-Lothar Domröse told the newspapers of the Funke media group that he expected the federal government to release “Leopards” from the Bundeswehr’s inventory and speculated that the number of units would be “in the low double-digit range”.
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces, Eva Högl, is more skeptical. You have to weigh up whether the Bundeswehr can really do without the battle tanks, Högl told the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sunday newspaper”. The Bundeswehr does not have enough material itself.
Are there any legal concerns?
As with other weapons deliveries, Germany should not become a party to the war from the point of view of international law with the delivery of battle tanks. Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann agrees: “Ukraine is right because it is waging a war of self-defense.” According to international law, Germany is allowed to deliver weapons to Ukraine. “This doesn’t make us a party to the war. It doesn’t matter what the quality of the weapons are,” said Buschmann.
When appointing Pistorius as defense minister, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier made it clear that Germany was not at war, but that we now had to “react to threats that are also aimed at us.” Pistorius had previously spoken of Germany being indirectly involved in a war. Irrespective of the arms deliveries, Ukraine’s western allies always emphasize that they are not themselves a party to the war. The states of the defense alliance NATO are not directly involved militarily in the conflict.