The President is silent on the delivery of Leopard 2

The Ukraine war is the main topic at the World Economic Forum in Davos. However, the President has been silent on the supply of battle tanks.

President Olaf Scholz has reaffirmed his unwavering support for Ukraine against Russia’s war of aggression. “We will continue to support Ukraine as long as it needs it,” Scholz said in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Arms will continue to be sent to Ukraine in consultation with partner countries.

The chancellor insisted that Germany “continues to supply” and in close consultation with international partners “huge quantities of weapons” to ensure Russia’s war of aggression fails. Scholes noted, among other things, the provision of the Patriot Air Defense System as promised by the federal government. In his speech, held in English, he described the military aid provided and pledged to Ukraine to date as a “profound turning point in German foreign and security policy”.

However, the chancellor did not respond to a question about the possibility of supplying German Leopard main battle tanks, which is the subject of heated debate in the Traffic Light Alliance and Germany is also under growing international pressure.

So far, Scholes has blocked the delivery of the Leopards, arguing that Germany should not go it alone. However, in the meantime, Poland and other EU and NATO countries want to supply Ukraine with their own Leopard tanks, and are pressing for the necessary approval from the manufacturer, Germany. Great Britain has already announced that it will supply Ukraine with heavy main battle tanks from its own stocks.

After his speech, a man from Ukraine asked Schaals in a question-and-answer session why Germany had not supplied battle tanks. Scholz dodged the question: In his view, it’s no surprise that America is Ukraine’s biggest supporter. However, Germany also makes a big contribution: the Panzerhaubitzen 2000 or so rocket launchers delivered to date have been of great help to the Ukrainian army, for example. It was also decided to jointly provide various armored personnel carriers with France and the United States. Germany’s strategy is not to go it alone when it comes to arms supplies.

In the fight against the climate crisis, the chancellor made it clear that Germany will not abandon its climate goals despite the energy crisis. They want to be climate-neutral from 2045 and help ensure that this applies across Europe from 2050. “This decision stands.” As a result, the chancellor named the opening of two LNG terminals in Germany, which are still liquefied gas today but will be adapted to hold hydrogen in the future. He envisions his successor arriving in Davos in 2045 as the head of government of one of the world’s first climate-neutral industrialized nations.