On Friday, the United Kingdom, Poland and Finland will try to persuade Germany to supply Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks, while the US is not expected to commit to sending Abrams tanks, the report said.
A German newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing sources, that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in a conversation with US President Joe Biden on Tuesday, made it clear that his country would supply Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks, but on the condition that Washington also sends its Abrams tanks.
British media reported that Germany has so far refused to provide Leopard 2 tanks for fear that the move could escalate the Ukrainian conflict and leave Berlin "exposed to Moscow’s wrath." At the same time, Washington is supportive of Berlin sending tanks to Kiev behind the scenes, but does not pressure it to do so, the report said.
The newspaper cited one US administration official as saying, "we are not coaxing or trying to manipulate any nation’s decision about what they want to provide," adding that the US is "grateful for all of the weapons Germany is willing to provide."
On Wednesday, US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl said that the Abrams tank is a very complicated piece of equipment, which is "expensive, hard to train on" and has a jet engine, so it will be difficult for Ukraine to maintain it.
Western countries have been ramping up their military support for Kiev since the beginning of the Russian military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. In April, Moscow sent a note to NATO member states condemning their military assistance to Kiev. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that any arms shipments on Ukrainian territory would be "legitimate targets" for Russian armed forces.