The participation of other nations has highlighted the transition of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine from a primarily bilateral territorial issue to a global conflict.
In the recent announcements by the leaders of Germany and the United States, reversing their previous reluctance to provide Kyiv with offensive armored vehicles and deploying potent new instruments in Ukraine’s quest to recover land lost to Russia, both countries will respectively send tank contingents to Ukraine.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s declaration that he will send Leopard 2 tanks was accompanied by US President Joe Biden’s official statement that he would provide 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine.
Following weeks of heavy pressure from some of Berlin’s NATO partners, the simultaneous declarations marked a watershed moment. The choices were the product of extensive negotiation between Germany, the United States, and other European allies, and they come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky prepares for a fresh Russian attack in the spring.
This marks a transitional moment in this war as several countries have decided to share the stakes of victory or loss with Ukraine.
In a press release, Biden stated “This is not an offensive threat to Russia. There is no offensive threat to Russia if Russian troops return to Russia, where they belong.”
The chief of staff of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the news and emphasised the country’s desire for “a lot” more Leopard tanks. Andriy Yermak wrote on Telegram, “The first tank step has been taken. The following is the “tank coalition.” We require several Leopards.”
The US’s M1 Abrams, Germany’s Leopard 2, and the United Kingdom’s Challenger 2 are much more lethal than the Soviet-era T-72s, which make up the majority of Kremlin and Ukrainian armored formations, giving Ukraine the upper hand.
BACKLASH FROM RUSSIA
After the announcements, the Kremlin has vowed that any Abrams tanks provided to Ukraine by the United States will “burn,” mocking the anticipated transfer as a costly mistake.
Moscow’s envoy to Germany, Sergei Nechayev, reacted angrily to Berlin’s proclamation, stating, “This highly risky action escalates the situation to a whole new level.”
Russia responded angrily to Germany’s decision to authorize the sale of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, claiming that Berlin was betraying its “historical obligation to Russia” stemming from Nazi war crimes.
In a Telegram message, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova confirmed Germany’s involvement in a “pre-planned war” against the Kremlin.
More than eighty years after their nation attacked the Soviet Kremlin and Ukraine during World War Two, some Germans oppose the thought of deploying tanks into a new conflict there due to a sense of historical guilt that was immediately tapped into by the Russian embassy’s comments.
Nechayev stated, “Berlin’s decision signifies the final refusal of the Federal Republic of Germany to acknowledge its historical responsibility to our people for the terrible, timeless crimes of Nazism during the Great Patriotic War, as well as the oblivion of the difficult path of post-war reconciliation between Russians and Germans.”
The Kremlin has slammed the decision to provide military support to Ukraine by the western powers, claiming that it will escalate the war further and cause more suffering.
A clear and bold statement has been made by the Russian Ambassador to the US, declaring that any US tanks on Ukrainian soil will be destroyed by Russia.
The war has now strikingly transitioned to a western one against the Kremlin. We expect more suffering on both sides of the affected parties, and this decision in no way lessens the duration of the war for now.
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