FFrench President Emmanuel Macron has yet to decide whether Ukraine should also receive France’s main battle tanks. So far, however, there has been no international criticism of Macron’s stance – in contrast to the sometimes violent reactions to President Olaf Scholes’ (SPD) long reluctance. This should not be due to Macron’s highly skilled communication skills.
Gaspard Schnitzler, a defense expert at the Institute for International and Strategic Relations (IRIS) in Paris, said: “Everyone is pointing the finger at Germany. The delaying chancellor has come under fire. However, there are many real reasons why the delivery of French Leclerc tanks makes less strategic sense.
“Only about 220 Leclerc tanks are operational. “Production stopped in 2008,” says Schnitzler. Instead, there are about 2,000 German Leopard tanks. “This makes it easier to supply spare parts,” explains the expert. Many European armies use Panther tanks, the Leclerc tank is used only by France, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.
The 56-tonne Leclerc tank is capable of hitting targets up to four kilometers away while on the move
What: AP/Vadim Ghirda
Another important thing is the training of Ukrainian soldiers. “It’s more efficient to agree on a single system,” says Schnitzler. Therefore, offering a few Leclerc bins as a symbolic gesture is not very effective.
However, as some French politicians suggest, it is also not true that Ukraine does not want Leclerc tanks. Last week, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense released another curious video extolling the benefits of the Leclerc tank with Chansons and Sartre quotes. He is “sporty” and “easy to park”.
In fact, the 56-tonne Leclerc is capable of hitting a target four kilometers away while driving. France currently has 13 of its Leclerc tanks stationed in Romania to protect NATO’s eastern flank.
This is due to the fact that France has very few heavy battle tanks and the country relies on its nuclear deterrent. “France is fixed,” he reminds Macron from time to time — and everyone knows it.
All Improvements in Live Ticker:
09:47 – More than 125,000 Russian soldiers died
Since the outbreak of war on February 24, the Russian army from 2022 to 28.01. It lost at least 125,510 soldiers in 2023. This means that 800 soldiers will have died compared to the previous day, according to the daily statistics. Ukrainian General Staff on its Facebook page is published. However, the figures from the Russian side have not been confirmed
09:08 – Russia is planning a new offensive
According to Kremlin insiders, Russia should prepare a new offensive in the war in Ukraine in February or March 2023 to regain the initiative. reports that Bloomberg News. The assessment is consistent with the think tank’s analysis Institute of War (ISW), assumes that Putin plans to win this war “mostly in the Luhansk region” after previous defeats. “Recent limited Russian ground offensives in Zaporizhia Oblast may be aimed at dispersing Ukrainian forces and setting the stage for an offensive in Luhansk,” ISW said. On the other hand, an attack from Belorussia was not considered possible, and troops from there were said to be already moving to Luhans. ISW also reported that Russian prisoners who wanted to participate in the operation have already been pardoned.
1:00 am – Israel is helping Ukraine ‘behind the scenes’
According to Ron Prosser, Israel’s ambassador to Germany, his country supports Ukraine under attack by Russia more than it publicly knows. Israel is helping, “but behind the scenes and more than is known,” diplomat Funke told media group newspapers (Saturday).
He asked for an understanding of Israeli reluctance on the matter: “We have Russians in Syria. You know, the Israeli military routinely blocks the shipment of weapons from Iran to Syria and Lebanon. This includes Iranian drones and missiles used by Russia in Ukraine,” Prosser said. Russia also has a large Jewish community. “Those are the two main reasons we keep a low profile,” he said.
New Foreign Minister Eli Cohen recently assured Kiev that humanitarian aid would continue despite Israel’s repeated condemnation of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. Overall, however, the country has been very cautious and has so far strictly denied arms supplies to Ukraine. Among other things, Russia has great influence on the situation in Syria. Israel wants to prevent its arch-enemy Iran and its affiliate Hezbollah from expanding their military influence in the neighboring country.
00:36 – UNHCR: Russia violates child protection in wartime
According to the head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Russia is violating principles that protect children during war. “Giving them (Russian) citizenship or adopting them is against the basic principles of child protection in wartime situations,” Grandi told Reuters in an interview during a visit to the UNHCR office in Kyiv.
The refugee agency is unable to estimate the number of child victims because access to them is highly restricted in Russia. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Grandi had no comment on the children killed in Ukrainian shelling in the Donbass. He also wished that “United Nations officials would have taken note of the enormous humanitarian assistance that Russia has provided to the residents of the region.”
20:37 – Ukraine gets 321 main battle tanks
According to Ukraine, it has received commitments from several countries for a total of 321 main battle tanks. This is what the Ambassador of Ukraine in France tells the BFM broadcaster.
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