Written by Angelica Hellman
Now everything is happening very quickly: Ukrainian soldiers will start training on the Leopard 2 in February, and the main battle tank from Germany will be in use at the end of March and will push back the Russian attackers.
Chancellor Olaf Schultz, 64, hesitated for a long time about delivering the most dangerous German tank to Kiev. He just wanted to take this next military step with the United States and urged US President Joe Biden (80) to send Abrams tanks. The Grand Battle Tank Alliance has been in place since this week.
The Kremlin responded angrily. Warmonger Vladimir Putin, 70, declared that Moscow viewed the tank deliveries as “direct participation in the conflict.”
Scholz knows: When in doubt, Europe cannot defend itself alone. Germany itself does not have its own nuclear weapons. No shield against missile attacks. If the worst comes to the worst, Germany will need the help of the United States.
According to BILD am SONNTAG information, the United States alone sends about 90 aircraft, including its F-35, F-16 and F-15 fighter jets. This is the largest deployment of the US Air Force to Germany since the founding of NATO. The Luftwaffe has Eurofighters, Tornados and the A400M military transport aircraft in service.
Deterrence by NATO
The exercise aims to show Moscow that NATO will defend its airspace together in the event of an attack.
There are different positions on the question of whether Ukraine should also acquire combat aircraft from the West. The United States, France and Poland are at least open on this point. On the other hand, Schultz ruled out the delivery of fighter jets in the Bundestag this week.
And at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, he stressed that stance and, according to those involved, made it clear to ministers that he expected unity there.
For Europe and the United States to stick together – this signal should send a large air combat exercise. In June, 15 NATO countries transferred about 200 aircraft to Germany for the “Air Defender 23” exercise. For twelve days, the pilots trained air warfare operations in the entirety of German airspace, sometimes over Poland, the Czech Republic, the Baltic states and Romania.
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