With Christine Lambrecht’s resignation, Boris Pistorius has been appointed as Germany’s Defense Minister, facing pressure from Western allies over Ukraine.
In a statement to the press in Hanover, Pistorius admitted that Federal Germany has ‘indirectly’ become involved in a war and stated that he is aware of the responsibility placed on his shoulders.
The minister said that he would work to strengthen the German armed forces (Bundeswehr) to make it capable of addressing new security challenges, emphasizing that the role of the defense ministry is a major challenge even in peacetime.
Pistorius’s first task: the Leopard Coalition
The most challenging task awaiting the new defense minister is the issue of Berlin’s long-standing reluctance to send Leopard tanks to Kyiv.
After Britain announced that it would provide Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, the pressure on Germany intensified.
UK defense secretary Ben Wallace will meet counterparts from Poland and Baltics in a drive to pressure Germany to authorize sending Leopard 2 tanks.
Prior to the meeting on Ukraine to be held tomorrow at the US air base Ramstein in Germany, in a summit planned to be organized in Estonia, it is aimed to ‘encourage’ Germany to provide tanks unless a decision can be reached before Friday.
Ben Wallace referred to the group of countries willing to give the German-made tanks as members of the ‘Leopard coalition’ and urged his ‘German colleagues’ to agree to the re-export.
British Defence Minister Ben Wallace noted a debate about whether tanks were “offensive or defensive weapons” and added, “If you’re using a tank to defend your country, I would wager that it is a defensive weapon system.”
Andrzej Duda, the Polish president, speaking at the Davos World Economic Forum, said Berlin’s approval to allow the re-export of Leopard 2 tanks was ‘very, very, very, very needed.’
Currently, there are reportedly more than 2,300 Leopard 2 tanks available or in storage across Europe.
Pistorius’s second task ahead: Transforming the army
The second of the medium to long-term tasks ahead of Boris Pistorius is more complicated: completing the long-awaited transformation of the Bundeswehr.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the issue of a modernized army promised by the leader of the traffic-light coalition, Scholz, has not yet been resolved.
Although Scholz says that they allocated 100 billion euros for the modernization of the military, only $10 billion has so far been committed to in contracts.
Furthermore, German military equipment does not seem to be fit in either military maneuvers or on the actual battlefield in Ukraine. Last December, all 18 Puma infantry combat vehicles suffered problems and were withdrawn from exercises.
Scholz at the Davos: No words about tanks
On the other hand, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s much-anticipated address at the Davos frustrated the countries and actors of the war coalition.
In his one-hour speech, Scholz recorded that they are continuously supplying Ukraine with large quantities of arms with their partners and said that Russia’s aggression must fail in order for the war to end.
Mentioning Germany’s military assistance to Ukraine so far, Scholz avoided committing to the supply of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
Is Scholz waiting for the US?
It is expected that Germany will now take the first step to permit countries having Leopards to re-export. Furthermore, it is a topic on the table that Germany will help Ukraine with maintenance if other countries provide Leopards.
However, Scholz himself is allegedly waiting for the US to send Leopards to Ukraine.
Officials in Berlin appear to be linking Germany’s decision on Leopards to the US sending M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine.
Another powerful country of the EU, France, is also considering sending its own Leclerc tanks to Ukraine. This move may open the way for Germany and provide Berlin with a joint framework for tank shipments.
Yesterday, the European Parliament passed a non-binding resolution urging Scholz to form an international coalition for sending Leopards ‘without further delay.’
Greens stand out for Leopards
On the other hand, insider pressure on Scholz is coming from the Greens, the most pro-war member of the traffic-light coalition in Berlin, to give the Leopard tanks to Ukraine.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko, a former boxer, said on his Telegram account he had held talks with German Vice-Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck in Davos.
Noting that they discussed the transfer of weapons, Klitschko heralded, ‘Positive decisions have been made. Good news coming soon.’
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock from the Greens said that she hopes Friday’s Ramstein meeting will ‘set in motion decisions that will help Ukraine liberate more people.’
The main opposition party in Germany, Christian Democrats, on the other hand, also believe that Germany should take a leading role in Europe, delivering Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
