3 Baltic states call on Germany to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine ‘now’

By Ahmet Gencturk

ANKARA (AA) - Three Baltic states on Saturday called on Germany to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine “now.”

In a Twitter post, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said: “We, Latvian, Estonian, Lithuanian Foreign Ministers call on Germany to provide Leopard tanks to Ukraine now.”

“This is needed to stop Russian aggression, help Ukraine and restore peace in Europe quickly. Germany as the leading European power has special responsibility in this regard,” he added.

Rinkevics’ Estonian and Lithuanian counterparts Gabrielius Landsbergis and Urmas Reinsalu, respectively, also tweeted the same words.

On Friday, following a high-level meeting of Ukraine’s western allies at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told reporters that Berlin and the allies need more time to make a decision on sending battle tanks to Ukraine.

He dismissed media criticism that Germany was blocking Leopard tank deliveries at a time when they are urgently needed by Ukraine.

“We’re not really hesitating, we’re just trying to balance all the pros and cons carefully,” he said, adding that Germany was not alone, and Berlin’s concerns were also shared by others in the group.