The international community has reacted with shock to Germany’s decision not to send its Leopard 2 Tanks to Ukraine. The country is currently facing backlash from other countries, after an agreement passed between 50 countries to supply Kyiv with valuable military hardware, such as ammunition and armored vehicles. However, Germany has shown reluctance to help Ukraine boost its combat capacity in the war against Russia. As reported by the Times of Israel on January 21^st, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the German indecision, recalling that with every delay in supplying the nation, more Ukrainians are at risk of dying.

As reported by the Guardian also on January 21^st, German defence minister Boris Pistorius stated in an interview at the US Ramstein airbase that « we still cannot say when a decision will be taken, and what the decision will be, when it comes to the Leopard tank. » The foreign ministers of the Baltic States of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, all allies of Zelensky, have firmly requested for Germany to provide the necessary tanks to Ukraine immediately. Moreover, as reported in an article on CNN on the same day, Andriy Melnyk, Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister, showed his disappointment in regards the reluctance of the country to provide any nation with its tanks and asked the government to take a favorable decision on the matter. In addition, the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, recalled on CNN that time is running out: “We need these tanks now.”

The main question here is why Germany has chosen not to send the Leopard 2 tank. Firstly, it is waiting for the USA to do the same, even if, at the moment, the White House has expressed the difficulty in transporting military vehicles to Europe. On behalf of the international community, there should be a call for action since the survival of millions of citizens is currently at stake. A second element to consider is that Germany probably has chosen not to send the tank for strategic reasons. The Leopard 2 tank would increase the country’s military capacity, strengthening it, something which the German government chooses to avoid. One final element to keep in mind is also the economic relationship, in terms of Gas supply, between the country and Russia. Perhaps Scholtz, the German Chancellor, fears causing an escalation by supplying Ukraine with the Leopards. However, in the end, he will be forced to export them to the country, even if only because the German public opinion is on the side of the Ukrainians.

The war has now been raging on for 11 months, Ukraine has suffered numerous losses, and what is more, the Russian government attacked on January 24^th several Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, as a warning from the Kremlin to lay down their weapons. This attack was defined as a special military operation, as reported by CNN on the same day of the offensive. The number of Russian troops has been increasing. Therefore, there is a cry for help on behalf of the attacked country towards the international community, which should be considered mainly by those countries that can make a difference. Hopefully, in light of these new events, there will be a change in position from the German government.