Britain, France and Poland on Wednesday welcomed Berlin’s decision to allow the deployment of Leopard 2 tanks in Ukraine, while Spain warned of the danger of an escalation of the war against Russia.
In London, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunar tweeted to hail Germany’s “good decision” which would “strengthen Ukraine’s defenses” in the face of a Russian invasion.
“The decision taken by our allies and NATO friends is a good one. [Organização do Tratado do Atlântico Norte] send tanks to Ukraine. Next to “Challenger 2″ [os tanques prometidos recentemente por Londres]the army will strengthen the defense capability of Ukraine,” Sunar stressed.
In Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron also praised Germany’s “green light” to send armored vehicles to Ukraine, highlighting France’s “long and broad” support for an early delivery of lighter AMX10-RC tanks.
However, the French government has not yet decided to send its Leclerc tanks, and Macron has not ruled out the possibility.
In Warsaw, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki welcomed the German decision, which he considers “a big step to stop Russia.”
“Together we are stronger,” Morawiecki also said on Twitter, in a message in which he thanked German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Scholz’s spokesman, Steffen Hebestrait, explained that Germany would supply 14 Leopard 2 A6s, which are in service with the German armed forces, after several days of speculation about the position Berlin would finally take.
Poland demanded permission from Germany to send Leopard tanks and even threatened to act unilaterally if Scholz did not give such permission.
The more moderate Spanish government, through the Minister of Social Rights and the 2030 Agenda, Ione Belarra, commented on the German decision and considered that the sending of Leopard armored personnel carriers to Ukraine “only contributes to the military escalation, warning that it” could lead to an unpredictable and very dangerous reaction. from the Russian side.”
Belarra, speaking on the sidelines of the opening of the event organized by the European Network to Combat Poverty and Social Exclusion in the Spanish State (EAPN-ES), thus defended the resolution of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia through diplomacy.
“Many experts warned that the Leopard would only contribute to the escalation of the war and that this could provoke an unpredictable and very dangerous reaction from Russia,” Belarra said.
According to a Berlin executive, Germany authorized the dispatch of German-made Leopard 2 tanks for the Ukrainian armed forces to fight the Russian invasion and approved requests from other countries in the same sense.
“This decision is in line with our well-known line of support for Ukraine in the best possible way. We act internationally in a very coordinated manner,” said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, quoted by Hebestreit.
The German government said in a statement that it will initially supply Ukraine with 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks. It is expected that Germany and its allies will supply the Ukrainian army with a total of 88 tanks.
JSD(CSR) //APN
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