The Ukrainians demand the “best tank in the world” and put pressure on Berlin. What does Kyiv expect from the German armored Leopard 2 A4?
With Western tanks, the Ukrainian government seeks to strengthen its armed forces for more and successful counterattacks against the Russian army.
Kyiv insists on asking Germany, in addition to the howitzers and rocket launchers it has already received, Leopard 2 A4 tanks, but also Marder-type armored vehicles.
Military experts point out the decisive role of these two armored vehicles in the recapture of occupied territories, but also in battles in an urban environment.
“The armed forces of 18 countries trust the overall superiority of the Leopard,” writes German manufacturer KMW.
Not a few experts, regardless of KMW’s credit, call the Leopard “the best tank in the world.”
“Battles in the Ukrainian war are not fought exclusively, but mostly with armored formations,” the German Ministry of Defense notes.
The tanks are characterized by “high dynamics and high mobility” despite the tracks and movement in difficult terrain, concludes German Brigadier General Bjorn Schultz:
“In the countryside, but also in the urban area, where there is debris, damaged cars and similar obstacles, we are able to achieve maximum dynamics and speed.”
At the same time the Leopards offer the operators or the soldiers moving around it great security.
The advantages of the battle tank undoubtedly include the 120mm cannon with significant firepower and the simultaneous protection it offers to manpower.
“A war on European soil is unthinkable to be fought exclusively outside the cities.
»There are industrial areas, villages, small towns, big cities scattered throughout the continent.
“Wars are usually decided there”, Brigadier General Bjorn Schultz estimates and adds that “critical infrastructure, government buildings and power plants are located in these places”.
To Kiev’s persistent demands for the delivery of Leopard and Marder tanks, which were reiterated during the recent visit of German Foreign Minister Analena Burbock to Kyiv, Chancellor Olaf Scholz responded that Germany has already sent to Ukraine heavy type armament, which is already successfully used in the field.
At the same time, however, the German chancellor rules out unilateral decisions on behalf of Germany.
And it is a fact that no country has sent western tanks to Ukraine.
For her part, the head of the Parliamentary Committee on Defense Affairs, Marie Agner Strack Zimmerman, told the German News Agency (dpa) on Thursday that “there are no longer strong arguments against sending heavy weapons to Ukraine.”
In her opinion, “the Ukrainian forces have shown in the most impressive way that they are able to quickly learn how to operate Western weapon systems. And the politician of the co-ruling Liberals concludes:
“We should take this fact into account and act accordingly.”
