Berlin In Germany, there is a growing willingness to support Ukraine with heavy weapons after all. The federal government has decided to allow the delivery of decommissioned Gepard anti-aircraft tanks. This was announced by Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) on Tuesday in Ramstein. There she meets counterparts from allied countries.
There is now also a draft for a Bundestag motion by the SPD, Greens and FDP for further support for Ukraine. In it, the traffic light factions call on the federal government to “continue and, where possible, accelerate the delivery of the necessary equipment to Ukraine and at the same time expand the delivery of heavy weapons and complex systems, for example as part of the ring exchange, without increasing Germany’s ability to defend the alliance endanger”.
An exchange of rings means that former Warsaw Pact countries will deliver weapons from Soviet times to Ukraine and Germany will fill in the gaps. However, Defense Minister Lambrecht has repeatedly emphasized that the capacities of the Bundeswehr are largely exhausted and the German armed forces can hardly do without material if the ability to defend the country and the alliance is not to suffer. Accordingly, this restriction is also found in the traffic light application.
This is where the armaments industry comes into play, which has long offered to repair and deliver decommissioned weapons such as Marder armored personnel carriers to Ukraine. The Rheinmetall group also has Leopard-type heavy battle tanks on offer.
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In total, there are still 110 vehicles that could be handed over to the Ukraine, the Handelsblatt learned from Berlin circles. In addition to 88 units of the older Leopard 1 model, Rheinmetall also offers 20 Leopard 2s, which are currently also in service with the Bundeswehr. The group estimates a total of 72 million euros for the Leopard 1 and 94 million euros for the up to 100 Marders on offer, as the Handelsblatt has learned from prices familiar with the plans. The company declined to comment.
Scholz brakes arms exports
At the end of last week, the group applied to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs to export the 88 Leopard 1. The authority did not comment on this. Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) is formally responsible for the export permit. Since it is about weapons of war, the decision ultimately lies with the Federal Security Council and thus with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). While Habeck definitely supports the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine, Scholz brakes.
The chancellor argues that everything must be done to avoid NATO states themselves becoming warring parties and the world heading towards a third world war. That is why the federal government had so far refused to supply tanks that were considered offensive weapons.
However, other NATO allies such as the United States and the Netherlands are supplying Ukraine with heavy weapons such as self-propelled howitzers and artillery. The federal government can still justify the delivery of decommissioned Gepard tanks from the armaments manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) by saying that they are anti-aircraft and therefore defensive weapons.
A Cheetah tank launches a Stinger anti-aircraft missile, but the tank can also be used to engage ground targets.
(Photo: dpa)
The manufacturer KMW has a medium two-digit number of these tanks from the disbanded army air defense of the Bundeswehr. The cheetah can also be used in combat against ground targets. Combating flying targets in conjunction with other forces, on the other hand, is considered to be technically much more demanding.
In addition to the Gepard model, the federal government is also examining the export of other anti-aircraft systems. Ukraine has asked the companies Diehl and Hensoldt to supply a newer system that has already been produced for the Egyptian armed forces but has not yet been delivered. If Egypt agrees, this system could be delivered to Ukraine in the short term, according to people familiar with the plans.
The industry tries to dispel any doubts about the applicability. According to industry sources, Ukrainian soldiers could learn how to drive the Marder and Leopard 1 tanks in a day. One person involved said that gunnery training could also be completed within a few days: “The Ukrainians have experienced soldiers who can be quickly familiarized with the system.”
With the export application for the Leopard battle tanks, which are not to be classified as defensive weapons, Rheinmetall is now putting the Chancellor under pressure. If Germany rejects the export of the Leopard to the Ukraine, then the criticism from home and abroad should be enormous. With the export application, the industry and Ukraine are forcing the federal government to show its colors, a person familiar with the process told the Handelsblatt.
Tanks come from Italy and Switzerland
However, the decision does not lie with the German government alone. The Leopard 1 tranche is to be delivered from Italy, with the newer Leopard 2 model Switzerland would have to agree, as the Handelsblatt learned. The tanks are currently on their territory. For all armaments manufactured in Germany, the Federal Government reserves the right to require approval for end use.
According to Berlin circles, Rheinmetall also wants to apply to the federal government for the export of the 20 Leopard 2 in the near future. In direct talks with the company, Ukraine had agreed to take over the main battle tanks in order to defend itself against the Russian attack.
However, it would also be possible for the Leopard 2 to play a role in the ring exchange. There is an agreement between Germany and Slovenia: The country wants to deliver Soviet-era T-72 main battle tanks to Ukraine and is to receive replacements from Germany, including Marder infantry fighting vehicles. Allegedly, modern Leopard 2 tanks are also on the wish list of the government in Ljubljana.
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Despite the decision to export the cheetah, the debate about the delivery of heavy weapons in Germany is likely to continue. In their application, the traffic light factions call on the federal government to examine “whether further weapons can be handed over and to actively approach other countries to offer them a ring exchange”.
Minister Lambrecht also announced on Tuesday that Germany was working on a training program for Ukrainian soldiers in Germany. “We are working together with our American friends in training Ukrainian troops on artillery systems on German soil,” she said, according to a previously circulated speech manuscript. In addition, Ukrainians are to be trained together with the Netherlands on the Panzerhaubitze 2000, which the country wants to deliver to Ukraine.
In addition, equipment gaps in the Bundeswehr must be closed as quickly as possible, the application goes on to say. That is why the adoption of the Bundeswehr special fund with 100 billion euros is so important.
The traffic light groups place these demands in a broader context and also insist that the government must step up efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine. The CDU/CSU parliamentary group had previously submitted a motion for the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine. It also calls for the surrender of heavy weapons from “available stocks” of the Bundeswehr. The Bundestag is scheduled to vote on the motions this week.
More: The tank exchange – How the federal government now wants to solve the weapons fiasco.