No change of stance on combat tanks ahead of Ukraine talks: Germany

By Oliver Towfigh Nia

BERLIN (AA) – Ahead of next week’s talks on military aid to Ukraine, a German government spokesman on Wednesday stressed it is unlikely that Berlin will change its position on delivering combat tanks.

A change in the stance of the German government before the meeting is “not very likely,” Steffen Hebestreit told journalists in Berlin.

“We have air defense systems of various types, we now have armored personnel carriers, but we have also supplied and continue to supply many other troop carriers and the like. We are monitoring the situation on the ground very closely,” he said.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has so far refused to supply Leopard 2 combat tanks on the grounds that no other NATO country has given Ukraine such tanks.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has invited members of the so-called Ukraine Contact Group to a meeting at the US Ramstein Air Force Base in southwestern Germany.

The third meeting of this kind will take place on Jan. 20 at the largest American air base outside the US.

Defense ministers and senior military officials from numerous countries are expected to discuss further support for Ukraine in the war against Russia.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in Brussels on Tuesday that the meeting should deal with further arms deliveries to Ukraine.

Discussions are to be held with Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov on what types of arms are needed and how the allies can make these weapons available.

Stoltenberg emphasized that it is not just about new weapons systems, but also about ammunition and spare parts for systems that have already been delivered.​​​​​​​