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German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said Thursday that sending Panther 2 tanks from Germany to Ukraine was not currently under discussion, although she indicated that “doing nothing” was the right approach.
Speaking to the media while visiting German soldiers of NATO’s Joint High Availability Force (VJTF) in Marienberg, the Minister said, “Government has no decision on provision of tanks”.
“This decision has not been taken, so this question has not yet arisen. When decisions are taken, we always proceed to implement them as quickly as possible,” he said.
He also recalled that Germany had conceded itself to Ukraine Deployment of 40 Armored Mortar Infantry Vehicles In the first quarter of this year and guarantee training in its application, and “therefore an assurance that there will be no delays, but rather execution as agreed”.
“And all decisions are made by the government, and there is no need to take additional measures until the decisions are made”, replied Lambrecht when asked that it would not be convenient to immediately analyze the potential units of the Leopard 2 tanks.
The minister also pointed out Germany adapts to changing situation in Ukraine with next deployment of mortarand assume “this is the right approach, leave nothing out” and do so in coordination with international partners.
“We will also follow this practice in the future, always adapting to changes in the situation and not doing it autonomously,” he added.
In turn, he said, “there are no orders from Poland or any other country” to supply the Panther 2 tanks to Ukraine.
On Wednesday, Polish President Andrzej Duda pledged his country’s readiness during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Supply the company of Leopard tanks to Ukraine Within an “international alliance” framework.
The German Economy Minister, Robert Habeck, accepted Poland’s plan on the Leopards in principle, saying that Germany “should not interfere when other countries make decisions to support Ukraine” and considered “regardless of the decisions” made by Berlin.
The military offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 has so far displaced more than 14 million people – 6.5 million internally and more than 7.9 million to European countries – – according to the latest UN data. The refugee crisis ranks as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
right now, 17.7 million Ukrainians are in need of humanitarian assistance Another 9.3 million people are in need of food assistance and housing.
The Russian invasion – justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin with the need to “denazify” and militarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – was generally condemned by the international community, which blamed Russia for sending weapons to Ukraine. Political and economic barriers.
The UN confirmed 6,952 civilian deaths and 11,144 wounded since the beginning of the war, underscoring that these numbers are much lower than the actual toll.