Kuleba called on Berlin to speed up decision on tanks
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, expressed his belief that Germany will eventually make a decision to transfer main battle tanks to Ukraine, but for now he asks to speed up the decision and allow other countries that are ready to transfer their German-made tanks to do so.
As Censor.NET informs, with reference to Ukrinform, the head of Ukrainian diplomacy stated this in an interview with the Tagesschau program of the German TV channel ARD.
"We want an honest approach to the tank question, without delay. As we have learned in the last ten months, it will happen in any case - it is only a matter of time. Why torture yourself, us and everyone, and not just make a decision without delay, which you can be proud of?", the minister asked.
According to Kuleba, if Germany currently has any justification not to supply battle tanks to Ukraine, it will still do so at some point in the future. This was the case with self-propelled howitzers, with the IRIS-T anti-aircraft system and recently with the Marder BMP and the Patriot air defense system, he recalled.
And he denied that the new decision could lead to escalation because it is Russia that escalates the situation whenever it wants.
"It's always the same pattern: first they say no, then they vigorously defend their decision to finally say yes. We're still trying to understand why the German government is doing this to itself," the German minister noted.
The head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry admitted that such a model of behavior - not to act alone - exists not only in Germany, but also in some other countries.
"But every day that decisions are made in Berlin or other capitals also means that someone dies at the front because of a lack of artillery or tanks. This means that the Russian mercenaries "Wagner" will continue the offensive and will be able to capture our trenches ... What is a day of debate in Berlin, is also a day of fear, suffering, pain, and sometimes even death for Ukrainian civilians and military personnel," he reproached.
Kuleb also called on the German government to give the "good" to other countries to transfer German-made equipment to Ukraine, if the decision to transfer theirs has not yet been made.
"We rely on Germany because Germany is one of the few countries that really has the ability to carry out the tasks. And after all the discussions about the supply of German weapons, the main battle tanks remained the last (issue - ed.). In all other matters, there is movement and progress And we understand: if you, as a government, cannot make this last important decision yourself, then at least give the green light to the countries that have your tanks and are willing to give us those tanks. But for this they need your permission," said Kuleba.
At the same time, the minister emphasized that Germany has already provided Ukraine with much-needed weapons. This, he added, not only helped the Ukrainians but strengthened the international authority of Germany itself.
The head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry emphasized that the war will not affect Germany if it provides Ukraine with the necessary support to defeat Russia on Ukrainian territory.
"The longer this conflict lasts, the higher the costs. For us in our own way, and for Germany in another way. Therefore, everyone should be interested in a quick victory for Ukraine," Kuleba concluded.
