UK praised for sending Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine as Germany drags its heels ... trends now
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Britain was praised last night for its decisive commitment to send battle tanks to Ukraine.
As Germany continued to drag its feet over following suit with its own military hardware, the US saluted the UK for its leadership.
Berlin’s reluctance to allow its main battle tank, the Leopard 2, to join the fight against Russia has exposed cracks in Nato.
But US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said this was a ‘decisive moment for Ukraine’s ability to defend itself’ and praised Britain for its leadership in pledging to send 14 Challenger 2s.
Berlin’s reluctance to allow its main battle tank, the Leopard 2, to join the fight against Russia has exposed cracks in Nato
He added: ‘The UK has announced a significant donation of Challenger 2 tanks. We commend our British allies for this decision.’
Despite pleas from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for Leopard 2s, Berlin has refused to send them. It has also said other Nato states that use the tanks cannot give them to Ukraine without its approval.
But after crisis talks between Nato defence ministers yesterday, Germany’s position appeared to soften when it said it would prepare its Leopard 2s for rapid deployment should a political agreement be reached and signalled that its allies could use theirs to train Ukrainian tank crews.
However, a final decision could still be weeks away, according to German defence minister Boris Pistorius.
He was speaking after talks with British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace at
