30 Jan 2023

Germany correspondent Thomas Sparrow: combat tanks to Ukraine

From Nine To Noon, 9:45 am on 30 January 2023
In this file photo taken on 3 December, 2022, an M1A2 Abrams battle tank of the US army, that will be used for military exercises by the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, is unloaded at the Baltic Container Terminal in Gdynia, Poland.

Photo: AFP

After a lot of pressure, the German government  has authorised the delivery of German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine, both directly and via third countries. Chancellor Scholz had been criticised by allies who believed he was taking too long to decide and was not communicating his intentions properly. Scholz says it was necessary to coordinate closely with allies, in particular the United States, which has  also decided to send some of its own tanks to Ukraine. Also, Europe's economy seems to be performing better than previously thought with Thomas saying experts are predicting that the Eurozone will avoid a recession this year.

Thomas Sparrow is a political correspondent for Deutsche Welle, based in Berlin