U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin urged allies on Friday to dig deeper to support Ukraine at the start of a meeting of dozens of defence ministers at an air base in Germany, as pressure piled up on Berlin to provide tanks to Kyiv.
NATO and defence leaders from roughly 50 countries including Canada are meeting at Ramstein Air Base, the latest in a series of arms-pledging conferences since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly 11 months ago.
“Russia is regrouping, recruiting and trying to re-equip,” Austin said at the start of the meeting.
“This is not a moment to slow down. It’s a time to dig deeper. The Ukrainian people are watching us,” he said without making specific reference to tanks.
The United States announced an additional $2.5 billion US in military aid for Ukraine on Thursday, a package that will include more armoured vehicles and ammunition.
Canada’s Defence Minister Anita Anand a day earlier announced that Ottawa was donating 200 Canadian-made armoured personnel carriers (APCs) to Ukraine.
WATCH | Canadian APCs will transport Ukrainian troops to safety, says ambassador:
Tank talk expected
But the major focus is on whether Germany will send Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine or at least approve their transfer from third countries.
Germany has become one of Ukraine’s top military supporters in response to Russia’s invasion, overcoming a taboo rooted in its bloody 20th-century history, but it has not yet agreed to send tanks or allow other countries to send their own German-made tanks.
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.
This would also make it easier for Ukraine to manage maintenance and crew training.
WATCH Logistical issues, political considerations swirl around tank discussion, says analyst:
Critics say German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his ruling SPD are too slow, waiting for allies to act first instead of assuming Germany’s responsibility as the Western power closest to 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.
The United States has made clear that it will not be sending Abrams anytime soon, arguing it would be a logistical nightmare for Ukrainian troops to use the American tanks because of the fuel that would be required and maintenance needed.
In one of his first interviews as Germany’s new defence minister late on Thursday, Boris Pistorius did not explicitly describe Abrams deliveries as a condition for Leopard supplies.
“We are well aware that it [the Leopard] can play an important role,” he told German public TV station ZDF, while stressing the importance of joint transatlantic decisions.
“Nobody rules out that the Leopard tank can be delivered — or approval can be given for deliveries of other European partners.”
Public pressure has been building on Berlin.
“Ukrainians will fight! With tanks or without. But every tank from Ramstein means saved Ukrainian lives,” Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk wrote on Telegram.
More military aid announced
Several countries will announce sending Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine on Friday at the meeting at Ramstein, the Lithuanian defence minister said on Thursday.
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.
WATCH | International co-ordination crucial as war priorities shift: Britain’s Cleverly:
Britain has said that it would send 14 of its main battle tanks along with additional artillery support to Ukraine, a step officials hope will open the door for Germany to make similar moves.
The Kremlin’s spokesperson said on Friday that Western countries supplying additional tanks to Ukraine would not change the course of the conflict and that they would add to the problems of the Ukrainian people.
As well, addressing Russia’s relationship with the United States specifically, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, “Bilateral relations are probably at their lowest point historically, unfortunately.”
Fighting has been most intense in the industrial region known as the Donbas on Ukraine’s eastern border with Russia, Ukrainian military officials said on Thursday night.
The Ukrainian military said Russian forces shelled the town of Bakhmut, Russia’s main target in Donetsk province, which combined with Luhansk province forms the Donbas.
Soledar, about 20 kilometres from Bakhmut, also came under fire. Russian forces say they control Soledar, while Ukrainian sources say their military is still fighting there.
“Ukrainian forces have practically stabilized the front around Bakhmut,” Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said on YouTube. “As of today, Russia is turning Soledar into a military hub. And they are trying to redirect troops toward the towns of Spirne and Bilohorivka — just inside the Luhansk region.”
Reuters was not able to verify battlefield reports.
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