A member of the ruling coalition in the Bundestag revealed that a “very small number” of modern battle tanks provided to Ukraine from Germany were still in use, according to Breitbart News.
Sebastian Schäfer, a Green Party MP and defence expert, admitted in a letter to defence contractors that most of the 18 Leopard 2 tanks supplied to Ukraine were no longer operational after being deployed on the battlefield last year.
Unfortunately, it has to be stated that only a very small number of the battle tanks delivered by Ukraine can be used.
Schäfer argued that the main problem with the tanks’ effectiveness, apart from direct damage, was the lack of spare parts to carry out repairs. He also noted that attempts by the Ukrainian military to repair the tanks themselves resulted in further damage to the tanks.
The recognition that most German tanks were disabled in some form on the battlefield is likely to serve as a serious blow to the credibility of the Leopard 2 tanks, Germany’s leading land-fighting vehicles.
For decades, Germany’s defence industry has been underfunded despite protests from senior politicians, including former US President Donald Trump, urging Berlin to meet NATO requirements on defence spending.
This year, Berlin has pledged to double its aid to Ukraine from four to eight billion euros. Schäfer stated that the country should be prepared to spend even more to support the war in Ukraine.
We also have to prepare for the fact that support from the United States will decrease.
He stated that despite Germany being Ukraine’s second-largest sponsor after the United States, the country still “lags behind” in aid compared to the size of its economy. Schäfer also stressed the need to supply “long-range Taurus cruise missiles from the Bundeswehr’s stocks” to enhance the Ukrainian army’s chances.
