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☆ How Biden's surprise trip to Kyiv was kept secret - but not from Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] President Joe Biden arrives for a surprise visit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Monday, Feb. 20, 2023, in Kyiv. After months of planning, Biden on Friday decided to go ahead with the trip, according to the White House. By then it was Sunday night, and Biden's train traveled in the dark with a heavy security presence on board. "It's good to be back in Kyiv," Biden said after stepping off the train. U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who accompanied the president, said U.S. officials did notify Russian officials that Biden would be traveling to Kyiv.

☆ Zelenskiy: too early to declare victory after repairs to power system
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERSFeb 12 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday hailed efforts to restore power generation systems damaged by Russian attacks but warned the population it was too early to declare victory on the energy front. Zelenskiy said power workers had done such a good job repairing the damage caused by Russian missile and drone strikes on Friday that most people had not had to face too many outages on Saturday and Sunday. Zelenskiy said scheduled energy outages would once again be in place when the working week started on Monday. Russia has carried out repeated waves of attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities in recent months, at times leaving millions of people without light, heating or water supplies during the cold winter. "This is the best response of Ukrainian energy workers to enemy shelling," he said in a statement.

☆ Ukraine, U.S. defence heads talk "priorities" for allies' meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 12 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov discussed "priorities", including air defence and artillery, for upcoming meetings of Kyiv's allies in Brussels, both sides said late on Saturday. The Ukraine Defense Contact Group will meet on Tuesday at the NATO headquarters, following upon a Jan. 20 conference at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany that was key for the decisions to send tanks. Austin and Reznikov discussed the importance of delivering promised capabilities as quickly as possible, the Pentagon's chief spokesperson, Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, said in a statement. After the call, Reznikov tweeted that "the United States is unwavering in its support of Ukraine," adding that the two also discussed the situation on the front line. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The U.S. Pentagon presented its best arguments, publicly and privately, against sending Abrams - its most advanced battle tanks - to Ukraine. The reversal ended a rare public division in the alliance that Washington officials feared Moscow could exploit. TANK DELIVERIES LIKELY MONTHS AWAYIn Washington, senior U.S. officials had privately expressed consternation at Germany's attempts to tie the Abrams tanks to delivery of the Leopards. He also discussed the issue in multiple phone conversations with Biden this month, senior Biden administration officials said. But at one point during Austin's trip, Washington asked Berlin to stop publicly tying Germany's approval of the Leopard tanks to the Biden administration sending Abrams tanks.

☆ Germany sending Leopard tanks to Ukraine, ending rift among Western allies
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Patrick-Smith-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Patrick Smith | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Ukrainian military leaders have said they need hundreds of the tanks to break through Russian defenses. Germany has more than 300 active Leopard tanks and more in storage. Several countries use Leopard tanks, including Canada, the Netherlands and Sweden. “The question is whether 100 tanks of different varieties will be enough to eject Russian forces from Ukraine. The deployment of Leopard tanks was the most significant, he said, because of its conventional diesel-powered engine, as opposed to the Abrams tanks, which are powered by jet fuel.

☆ NATO’s Willing Members vs. Germany on Tanks for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz declared last year his commitment to bolstering the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Mr. Scholz last week demonstrated that he’s now one of the main impediments to NATO unity as his vacillations over military aid to Ukraine force Germany’s allies to create their own coalitions of the willing. The main event was Friday’s summit at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, which failed to dislodge Mr. Scholz’s opposition to new tank deliveries to Ukraine. Mr. Scholz’s refusal to provide Leopard 2 tanks or to allow anyone else to send them has exasperated Washington, as we noted over the weekend, and is damaging Germany’s reputation.

☆ Germany U-turns over battle tanks, saying it will send Leopard 2s to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced on Wednesday that Germany will provide Ukraine with 14 Leopard 2 tanks out of its own Bundeswehr (German armed forces) stocks. Germany said its goal was to "quickly assemble two tank battalions with Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine. As a first step, Germany will supply a company with 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks from Bundeswehr stocks. Reports emerged late Tuesday that Chancellor Scholz was ready to agree to send 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, while the Biden administration was potentially prepared to provide a couple dozen M1 Abrams tanks. Warsaw on Tuesday sent a request to Berlin, asking permission to re-export 14 of its own Leopard tanks to Kyiv.

☆ Germany refuses to commit to sending tanks to Ukraine despite pressure from allies
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Germany has again refused to commit to allowing German-made tanks to be sent to Ukraine despite intense pressure. "We are looking into the matter, what the current status is regarding our Leopard tanks," he said in translated comments. He noted that the war had reached a "pivotal moment," however, and that allies "must provide heavier units to Ukraine. Germany was believed to be reluctant to send its own tanks unless the U.S. delivered its own Abrams vehicles. Washington has been noncommittal, saying that just the training to maintain and operate its tanks would require months.

☆ Germany Blinks on Tanks for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The conventional wisdom about Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine is that it has unified the West as never before. But a durable NATO coalition depends on political persistence and American leadership, and this week’s failure over tanks for Ukraine is the wrong message to send Mr. Putin about the West’s resolve. Representatives from 50 governments met Friday at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, and the U.S. on Thursday announced $2.5 billion in new U.S. aid to Ukraine, including more air defenses and infantry vehicles. The Germans have refused to send their Leopard 2 tanks, or even to let other European militaries such as the Poles send some of theirs. Leaks out of the U.S. say Germany has demanded the U.S. supply its own Abrams tanks as the price of Leopards.

Pressure mounted on Germany to approve the transfer of its Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, a day after Western allies meeting at the U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Germany failed to reach an agreement about sending armored vehicles. Edgars Rinkēvičs, Latvia’s foreign minister, said on Twitter Saturday morning that he and his counterparts from Lithuania and Estonia “call on Germany to provide Leopard tanks to Ukraine now. This is needed to stop Russian aggression, help Ukraine and restore peace in Europe quickly. Germany as the leading European power has special responsibility in this regard.”

☆ Ukraine defence minister says forces will train on German tanks in Poland - VOA
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius meets with his U.S. counterpart, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov to discuss how to help Ukraine defend itself, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Wolfgang RattayJan 20 (Reuters) - Ukrainian forces will train on Leopard-2 battle tanks in Poland, Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov was quoted as saying on Friday, even though allies failed to reach an agreement to supply the German-made vehicles to Kyiv. Reznikov, echoing earlier comments by Ukrainian officials, said he hoped Germany will reach a decision on the tanks. Earlier Reznikov had tweeted his gratitude to the German government and people for their military aid and hospitality. Next to a photograph of himself with German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, he wrote, "We had a frank discussion on Leopards 2.

☆ Ukraine adviser tells allies 'think faster' on military support
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

A senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Kyiv's allies on Saturday to "think faster" about stepping up their military support, a day after they failed to agree on sending battle tanks coveted by Kyiv. "You'll help Ukraine with the necessary weapons anyway and realize that there is no other option to end the war except the defeat of Russia," Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter. Every day of delay is the death of Ukrainians. Think faster." Ukraine's partners this week pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in new military aid but were unable to agree on sending the German-made Leopard 2 tanks Kyiv has long sought during a conference at the Ramstein Air Base on Friday.

☆ Allies offer more weapons to Ukraine, but no decisions have been made on tanks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian military vehicles drive along a road outside of the town of Chasiv Yar on January 18, 2023 in Bakhmut, Ukraine. Western allies on Friday dampened Ukraine's hopes for a rapid shipment of battle tanks to boost its firepower for a spring offensive against Russian forces, with the United States urging Kyiv to hold off from mounting such an operation. The run-up to the Ramstein meeting had been dominated by the issue of whether Germany would agree to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, or permit other countries that have them to do so. The United States was also holding fast to its decision not to provide Abrams tanks to Ukraine yet, a senior U.S. official said in Washington. Ukraine was hit especially hard this week, reporting 44 people confirmed dead and 20 unaccounted for after a Russian missile attack on an apartment block in Dnipro.

☆ This is the M1 Abrams, the powerful US battle tank that Kyiv wants but can't have
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But German Leopards and American Abrams tanks are still off the table. "I just don't think we're there yet," Colin Kahl, undersecretary for defense policy, said this week, "The Abrams tank is a very complicated piece of equipment," he argued. Just over 2,000 Abrams tanks were deployed with combat units during the war, and only 23 were damaged or destroyed. In the aftermath of the Gulf War, the US military developed the M1A2 Abrams, which has steadily been upgraded over the past two decades. The Abrams tank also saw extensive combat early in the Iraq War and was used to some extent in Afghanistan.

Despite German efforts to pressure the U.S. into providing Abrams tanks to Ukraine, the Pentagon’s top leaders are against sending them, three U.S. officials said. At the same time, the officials said President Joe Biden would not pressure Germany to send the Leopard tanks to Ukraine. Asked Friday about sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine, Biden was noncommittal. They also have argued they are not the right vehicles for the fight in Ukraine right now, according to the officials. Artur Widak / AP fileU.S. officials said opposition within the Biden administration to sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine is not due to concerns Russia would see the move as escalatory.

☆ U.S., Allies Fail to Persuade Germany to Allow Tanks for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Gordon Lubold | Michael R. Gordon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany—U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ‘s attempt to persuade Berlin to sign off on a proposal to get German-built tanks to Ukraine failed here Friday, the first significant rift within an alliance that has held steady since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly a year ago. Berlin’s resistance to pressure from the U.S. and also European allies eager to send their own German-made Leopard 2 tanks has frustrated the White House and many European governments ahead of what they see as a critical phase of the war.

MONT-de-MARSAN, France, Jan 20 (Reuters) - France will boost military spending by more than a third in coming years, President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday, as he unveiled ambitions to transform the French army to deal with the great "perils" of this century. He added France would invest massively in drones and military intelligence, areas where French officials say recent conflicts had exposed gaps, and that the military should pivot towards a strategy of high-intensity conflict. Macron did not announce new support for Ukraine, but said France had to be ready for a new era, with an accumulation of threats. Last year, the head of French military intelligence resigned just a month after Russia launched what it calls its "special military operation" against Ukraine over what officials said was a failure to predict the invasion. Macron also said France would pay particular attention to its military presence in overseas territories, especially in the Indo-Pacific, where new threats were emerging.

☆ U.S., Allies Step Up Ukraine Military Aid as German Hesitancy Over Tanks Threatens Rift
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Gordon Lubold | Drew Hinshaw | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany—U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and allies gathered here Friday to discuss a significant boost in military aid for Ukraine as the question of whether the German government will greenlight tanks for Kyiv threatened to expose a fracture among Ukraine’s supporters. The U.S. and its European allies have closely coordinated their support for Ukraine in the 11 months since Russia invaded Ukraine, including a large new package from the U.S. that Mr. Austin announced Friday.

☆ Western defense leaders meet amid dissent over tanks for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Russia is regrouping, recruiting and trying to re-equip,” U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned as the meeting opened. We need to dig even deeper,” Austin told the gathering of as many as 50 defense leaders who were attending in person and by video. The U.S. has also declined, at least so far, to provide M1 Abrams tanks, citing the extensive and complex maintenance and logistical challenges with the high-tech vehicle. The United Kingdom announced last week that it would send Challenger 2 tanks, describing it as a natural progression of military aid to Ukraine. At a Pentagon briefing Thursday, spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said the Leopard and Challenger aren’t comparable to the Abrams tanks because the Abrams is much harder to maintain and wouldn’t be a good fit.

[1/2] U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin meets with Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov to discuss how to help Ukraine defend itself, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, January 20, 2023. But the major focus is on whether Germany will send Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine or at least approve their transfer from third countries. Leopard tanks are seen as especially suitable for Ukraine as they are widely in use, meaning several countries could each chip in some of their tanks to support Ukraine. Government sources in Germany have said it would move on the Leopard tanks issue if the United States agreed to send Abrams tanks to Ukraine. Poland could send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine even without Germany’s re-export approval, a deputy foreign minister said on Friday, ahead of a crunch meeting on weapons for Kyiv.

☆ Ukraine expects decisions on tanks at Western defence leaders' meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"We are, in fact, now waiting for a decision from one European capital, which will activate the prepared chains of cooperation regarding tanks," Zelenskiy said in a video address on Thursday night. German government sources have said Berlin would move on the Leopard tanks issue if Washington agreed to send Abrams tanks to Ukraine. Ukraine needed the tanks to defend itself, recapture occupied land, and did not plan to attack Russia, Zelenskiy told ARD television on Thursday. "From Washington to London, from Paris to Warsaw, you hear one thing: Ukraine needs tanks. Nearby towns also were shelled by Russian forces - including Klishchiivka, just south of Bakhmut, the Ukrainian military said.

☆ Zelenskiy says Ukraine will still have to fight for supply of modern tanks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 20 (Reuters) - Ukraine will still have to fight to ensure a supply of modern heavy armor, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday after Western partners failed to agree on whether to provide German tanks. A meeting at the Ramstein Air Base broke up without a decision on whether Germany should send Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, or permit other countries which have them to do so. Zelenskiy said in a video address that the Ramstein meeting would strengthen Ukraine's resilience and expressed confidence allies would support Kyiv as much as possible. "Yes, we will still have to fight for the delivery of modern tanks, but every day we make it more obvious that there is no alternative to taking a decision about tanks," he said. Reporting by David Ljunggren, Editing by Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: NATO allies to make a decision on battle tanks for Kyiv; Wagner Group could have up to 50,000 troops in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda at a press conference after their talks in Kyiv on May 22, 2022. Poland is ready to take "non-standard action" and send Ukraine two of its Leopard tanks if Germany opposes the move, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski said. "I do not rule out that we are ready to take such a step," Jablonski was quoted by Reuters as telling a private radio station. "At the moment we are trying to make Germany not only agree these tanks being sent by Poland or other countries, but also to do so themselves." Germany has been slow to approve sending heavy weaponry to Ukraine for fear of provoking Russia.

☆ Finland promises 400 million euros of aid to Ukraine, could add Leopards
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The new donation would triple the total value of Finland's defence aid to Ukraine, bringing the total so far to 590 million euros, the Defence Ministry said in a statement. "I can only say that this package does not include Leopard tanks. Finland had earlier indicated it could send the German-made Leopard tanks if there were agreement among allies. The defence ministers of Finland and Sweden are to sign a Statement of Intent (SoI) on support for Ukraine in Ramstein later today, the Finnish ministry said. Under that agreement "Finland supplies defence materiel to Ukraine, and Sweden expresses its readiness to support Finland as necessary," it said.

Western forces on Friday agreed increases to their military support for Ukraine, but Germany wavered on further EU tank deliveries despite mounting calls from Kyiv and fellow allies. He stressed that he intends for Berlin to be prepared if and when a decision is taken on Leopard 2 tanks. Ukraine has repeatedly asked for battle tanks from its Western allies, with Germany's Leopard 2 units being of particular interest. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has insisted that receiving supplies of Western tanks must outpace another Russian attack. In the hours before the meeting, the Kremlin said that Western tanks for Ukraine would "change nothing" and would not stop Russia from achieving its goals, Reuters reported.

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