Financial Times: Spring is a turning point in Ukraine

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The Financial Times published an article discussing sending Western tanks into Ukraine in order to stop the Russian advance.

The Financial Times said that the shift in Berlin’s position on sending German Leopard 2 tanks is a major achievement for Kiev.

Next spring will mark a potential turning point in the conflict in Ukraine.

The article revealed that Kyiv needs advanced Western-made battle tanks, which could be vital in repelling a new attack that Moscow is preparing, and although the Leopard 2 tanks are best suited for the task, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was reluctant to provide them unless the United States sent tanks to Kyiv.

But his recent decision to send in his tanks, apparently in coordination with the United States, represents an important boost to Kyiv’s war effort.

The Financial Times stresses that Ukraine’s partners in the West have always and cautiously reviewed Russia’s red lines since day one, when Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened unprecedented consequences in history against any country that impeded his invasion.

Germany is one of the three largest arms exporters to Ukraine in the war, and tanks represent another step forward, because they represent a great progress in the destructive power and offensive capabilities of Ukraine, and unlike missiles, their operational range is theoretically unlimited.

All these reasons make the German chancellor’s warning understandable, and he prefers the presence of US Abrams tanks in Ukraine as well.

With the recent threats from Moscow, Scholz is looking for a protective cover from a nuclear power.

The German public opinion is also divided, despite growing calls for tanks to be supplied to Ukraine.

The Financial Times explains that the continued procrastination of Germany would have risked depriving Ukraine of a decisive military tool in the spring.

Tanks are necessary for mobile operations that include infantry and artillery, known as the combined arms maneuver.

Also, the Soviet T72 tanks that Ukraine obtained from its allies in Central Europe suffer from problems with ammunition and spare parts, and Kyiv will have to switch to NATO weapons, so German tanks are the most suitable and are used by 13 European countries, and the tanks themselves and spare parts are widely available.

US officials have also warned that US Abrams tanks are very heavy and difficult to operate, maintain and support.

However, the Biden administration, after bipartisan pressure from Congress, has announced that it is willing to send Abrams vehicles if that is what is needed to get the green light from Berlin.

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