Germany will not be able to immediately replace tanks that it is providing to Ukraine, the country's defence minister has said, as Russia claimed to have destroyed or captured some of them.
Berlin earlier this year started sending advanced Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine, after months of pleas from Kyiv for the heavy weapons to bolster its fightback against Russia.
Defence Minister Boris Pistorius told broadcaster RTL, in an interview aired late Monday, that "we will not be able to replace every tank that is now out of action".
He refused to confirm the authenticity of images circulating online purportedly showing some of the tanks damaged in battle.
But he added that "unfortunately it is the nature of war that weapons are destroyed, that tanks are destroyed and people are killed.
"That is why our support for Ukraine is so important."
Moscow said Tuesday that it had captured several Leopard tanks and US Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, releasing footage showing Russian troops surveying the equipment.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian and German politicians have been calling for rapid resupply of tanks given the destruction of the armaments.
Pistorius said Berlin would continue to supply the less advanced Leopard 1 tanks, and there would be over 100 by the end of the year.
After coming under sustained pressure, Berlin in January agreed that the German-made tanks could be sent to Ukraine.
The government has so far delivered 18 of the advanced Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
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Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year, Germany has dropped a traditionally pacifist stance and sent a vast array of weaponry to Kyiv, from air defence to artillery systems.
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Comments (3)
now it will request to partners like Germany and Poland for Long range missiles as it had successfully attaked Moscow and watched for Russian reaction and it did not react as expected . so this is the process how America probe new tactics on Russia through its proxy Ukrain and it will continue till Russia nuke Ukrain and Poland..
America never want peace in this region, so they will continue funding the war. to contain Russian in its borders while NATO expansion continue with bordering russian countries.Yes america will supply weapons for the purpose, the war itself is an American proxy against Russia. and more than one senator informed that they had spend billions of dollars for this pre war and it was worth investment. For this they had laid a foundation through a coup supported by European allies to dislodge an elected government replaced by american proxy in 2014.
America and UK has the history of supporting terrorism and name it good and bad terrorist. those support America are good and oppose them are bad. Osama bin laden, Al-Qaeda and mujahedeen are all American babies used against USSR for proxy war based in Pakistan and Afghanistan. later what happened is history, ISIS and White helmet was another American baby used against Syria. Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria and Iraq are victims of American terrorist factory. Now Zelensky is another Osama bin laden in making and Ukrainian are the victims.
@Anil,
No one living in the free world could possibly have the view you have expressed. I am sorry that so people must live in tyranny.
Not the average German or the average European, but German Leadership is Europe cause of panic, in my view.
My heritage allows me a negative perspective on German Leadership.
My respect for Germany as a self proclaimed leader of Europe no longer exists. They need to pass the baton, maybe to France, maybe to Poland. European’s are in a self-protective panic because of Germany Pro-Russian daydreams and German leaders cognitive biases of selflessness.
Germany, more than any other European country has a duty to vigorously support Ukraine: they, more than any country know about the evils of fascism, Merkel shamelessly enabled Putin, locked Europe into Russian gas despite all allies cautioning against it, led the chant for Ukraine to give up their nukes in exchange for security guarantees only to blackball Ukraine's entry into NATO...Sweden was all set to join the Euro, but after Germany had a budget problem and violated the Euro Union debt rules, Sweden wisely observed--oy, so that's what the Euro is about, German prosperity, and declined the Euro. Norway and Danmark, too. Germany has consistently and egregiously cheated on their NATO military spending agreement.
It's time for Germany to realize that the war in Ukraine is Freedom's war. It is the battle for all they CLAIM to hold sacred. It's time for Germany to at least aspire to the phenomenal bravery of Ukraine. Can't give more tanks? Berlin, cry me a river while I vomit.