MOSCOW, 29 Nov. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz did not dare to transfer battle tanks to Ukraine, fearing a reaction from Russia, said in an interview with ntv.de a member of the Bundestag from the CDU, retired colonel Roderich Kizewetter.
"In my opinion , the chancellor was alarmed by the widespread opinion in Russia that the use of German tanks against Russian troops would be a provocation (from Berlin. — Approx. ed.)», — suggested the parliamentarian.
He also criticized the statement of the head of the German government that Berlin would not take any steps without coordination with NATO allies.
«Scholz forced himself to» act alone «. Spain, among other things, <.. .> unofficially spoke with Germany about the supply of tanks,» Kizevetter noted.
In addition, the deputy recalled that Berlin had ignored the request for months to supply Poland with Leopard tanks to replace the Polish T-72s promised to Kyiv.
>The Kyiv regime insists that Germany provide it with Leopard 2 tanks, but Germany is in no hurry to share them. As Scholz stated, the German authorities will continue to support Ukraine, but will not take any steps without the consent of NATO allies. According to media reports, Western countries have come to an unspoken agreement not to supply tanks to the Kyiv authorities, so Germany does not want to be here first and give rise to accusations of escalation.
The former Ukrainian ambassador to Berlin Andriy Melnyk continues to insist on the transfer of tanks to Kyiv. According to him, NATO countries should create a «tank alliance» that would allow hundreds of Leopard 2s to be sent to Ukraine. Scholz rejected this idea, explaining that Germany seeks to «avoid unilateral actions.»
Moscow has been conducting a military special operation in Ukraine since February 24 . Against this background, the United States and its NATO allies continue to arm the Kyiv regime, allocating tens of billions of dollars for this. Moscow has repeatedly emphasized that the supply of Western weapons only prolongs the conflict, and the transport of weapons becomes a legitimate target for the Russian army.