Germany refuses extra-tank pledges for Ukraine

Germany cannot afford to pledge additional main battle tanks to Ukraine, the country’s defense minister, Boris Pistorius, said on Saturday.

His remarks came after Kiev warned that it would need more heavy weapons for a counteroffensive against Russia.

“I don’t see the delivery of additional Leopard tanks beyond those that were already announced,” Pistorius told German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.

    To be clear, just like other nations, we only have a limited inventory. As a federal defense minister, I can’t hand over everything we have.

The minister stated that “the existing gaps [in Germany's own military] cannot be completely closed by 2030 … It will take years.”

“In the medium term, however, I believe it will be possible to meet Ukraine's needs,” Pistorius said. He added that Germany’s defense industry must ramp up the production of tanks and other heavy weapons, including self-propelled howitzers. “Additional equipment is currently needed more than at any time in the past.”

According to Pistorius, Berlin and its European allies are committed to delivering two battalions of Leopard 2s, or just over 60 vehicles. He reiterated that by next year EU countries will also supply more than 100 of the older-model Leopard 1 tank.