After weeks of wrangling, Ukraine’s Western allies have finally agreed to deliver tanks that would turn the tide of the war with Russia. The move is to be commended, however the cracks within the alliance have revealed America’s and Germany’s uneasiness in regards to the potentially decisive next phase of the fighting.
It’s worrying: does the West desire a Ukrainian victory?
While allies are united on how one can keep Ukraine from losing, there may be nothing higher than the identical clarity on helping Ukraine win. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz presents his excuses before agreeing to send Leopard tanks to Kiev and allowing other countries to do the identical, which was common sense, but Germany sometimes appeared to imply that Ukraine may not get tanks in any respect.
Ukraine’s staunch ally, Poland complained that it kept the keys to the shipment in Berlin his German tanks, the Scholz government was the “least proactive country within the group” participating in the controversy.
![Ukrainian soldiers sit on captured Russian tanks.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Russia_Ukraine_War_Tanks_Impact_45626jpg-5aa6a.jpg?w=1024)
Furthermore, Germany’s initial promise of 14 tanks seems sparse given the massive variety of tanks in storage – manufacturer Rheinmetall said it could send Ukraine 139. And even with more Leopards coming from other European partners, the West finally agreed to a mass tank supplies, each with different logistical and operational needs, a few of which come from countries that were skeptical of the thought from the beginning.
Washington’s reluctance to send tanks was largely neglected in attempts to get Germany to approve Leopard deliveries. But when President Joe Biden finally announced the delivery of 31 Abrams tanks, the previous excuses that deploying the Abrams can be logistically too complicated appear to be this: excuses.
Never before have Kiev’s allies allowed such practical issues to come back so near derailing their support. From the start of the war, the West was brave: it made demanding guarantees and worked hard to maintain them. What modified?
It can’t be ruled out that cynical selfishness influences the indecisiveness of the tanks. Germany and america are among the many world’s largest weapons-producing superpowers, and battle tanks are lucrative exports. Tanks are sold for his or her repute as invincible – so nobody in Germany or America desires to see captured or destroyed Leopards and Abrams parading through Moscow.
Indeed, the proven fact that neither country was willing to send its tanks unless the opposite did too indicated the reluctance of Berlin and Washington to place the invaluable products of the military industry within the foreground.
![The ruins of a Russian missile attack on Ukraine.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/1246564144.jpg?w=1024)
More worryingly, the difficulties in approving deliveries could have revealed hesitations over the consequence they’re expected to advance: Ukraine’s total victory. There’s hope that Kyiv, which has been capable of fend off attacks by Russian President Vladimir Putin with Soviet-era tanks from countries just like the Czech Republic and Poland, can gain a decisive advantage with more modern Western-made heavy equipment.
The lingering uncertainty in regards to the implications of a Russian defection could also be cause for concern about making this leap in support. Fears of escalation and questions on how Putin’s decisive defeat will affect the worldwide order haven’t gone away. These are vital inquiries to which the West doesn’t yet have clear answers.
So there are still steps that Ukraine’s western partners refuse to take. While Scholz confirmed deliveries of Leopard tanks to Ukraine, he reiterated that fighter jets were out of the query. Kyiv officials say Western militants are “the following big obstacle,” but Scholz says the red line was “clear very early on, including [the] The president of america of America.”
There isn’t a doubt that Ukraine will proceed to place pressure on Germany, America and other partners to supply stronger support. Together with fighter jets, Kyiv is in search of long-range missile systems that would strike Russian logistical operations far behind enemy lines. And because the West continues to extend military support in response to Kiev’s requests thus far, the continued pressure from President Volodymyr Zelensky is entirely justified.
But diplomatic carnage, reminiscent of the tank dispute, will proceed unless the mental block to Ukraine’s victory is removed. Germany specifically has a lingering reluctance to proactively push for more advanced military support. In a way, this is just not surprising: for Berlin, assuming responsibility for Ukraine’s victory would mean irrevocably destroying the diplomatic bridges with Moscow which have been built for a long time.
And Germany’s reticence shall be a serious a part of the approaching headache for the West. Ukraine’s decisive triumph could have various implications for the US, EU, UK and other allies. Nevertheless, Ukraine’s allies should be as united of their approach to potential victory – including what that might mean for future relations with Russia – as they were of their approach to defending Ukraine.
Future decision-making must not be overshadowed by greater uncertainty and internal conflicts. To this end, a transparent plan of motion is required, making an allowance for the interests of all Allies because the war enters a decisive phase. To take care of support for Ukraine, the West must begin to develop a victory plan.
William Nattrass is a British journalist based in Prague.