Germany says no decision yet on delivering Leopard tanks to Ukraine

BERLIN

Germany and its allies discussed sending Leopard tanks to Ukraine but no decision was made during the Ramstein meeting, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Friday.

“We cannot say today when a decision will be taken on Leopard tanks, and what this decision will be,” he told reporters after the morning session of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

Pistorius stressed that due to the possible repercussions of such a bold move, the allies should carefully analyze the benefits and risks of it in the coming days before reaching a final decision on the issue.

He dismissed media criticisms that Germany was blocking Leopard tank deliveries at a time when they are urgently needed by Ukraine.

“We’re not really hesitating, we’re just trying to balance all the pros and cons carefully,” he said, adding that Germany was not alone, and Berlin’s concerns were also shared by others in the groups.

Pistorius told reporters that this morning he ordered the ministry to examine available Leopard tanks in army and defense industry stocks to be ready for a potential decision of the allies in the future.

Around 50 defense ministers and senior officials are attending the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, including Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar.