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NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 11:09
The Western allies seem to be tacked, and it is expected that tanks will soon be sent to the front, which Ukraine has been asking for for some time. It is expected that they will become important in the war.
The German Leopard 2 is regarded as one of the world’s best tanks and is present in large numbers in Europe. “It is a solid, robust, well-protected tank,” explains former commander of the army Mart de Kruif in the NOS Radio 1 Journaal. He thinks that it is precisely in this phase of the war that the tanks can make the difference.
“Everyone feels that decisions are going to be made this year. There are few supplies, both among the Russians and the Ukrainians. We will see very fierce fighting in the coming months. Then you look for as many resources as possible to fight those battles as well as possible. to be able to go,” explains De Kruif. He emphasizes that a few hundred tanks are then needed.
One hundred tanks is enough
Ukraine is asking for about 300 tanks. International experts estimate the need slightly lower and think that a hundred tanks will already make a big difference. With the coalition that Germany has forged, that number seems to be achievable, thinks Eastern Europe expert Bob Deen of the Clingendael Institute.
“With the numbers that are now being mentioned, there seems to be a coalition of ten to twelve countries. If they all deliver ten to fourteen tanks, you end up with around a hundred,” Deen makes the calculation in Nieuwsuur. “That’s definitely going to make a real difference.”
Quick to use
Where normally four months of training is required to get the tanks operational, De Kruif thinks that the armored vehicle can now be at the front within a few weeks.
“If you can get experienced tankers who know a little about how a tank works, you can go a long way in a few weeks. If you have to turn civilians into soldiers, it will take you months.”
AFP
Chancellor Scholz viewing a Leopard tank in October 2022
According to Prime Minister Rutte, there are no concrete Dutch plans for the supply of tanks yet. “We told Germany that if it helps to broaden the coalition, we will look into it. Everything is good for us, as long as it helps Ukraine.”
The armed forces currently lease eighteen Leopard tanks from Germany. If the Netherlands wants to send it to Ukraine, it will first have to buy it from Germany. According to Deen, sending the tanks has two effects. “The Netherlands can show that we are also participating. The Netherlands is trying to compete in the top league of countries that supply weapons. In addition, sending tanks makes it easier for Germany, because the coalition is growing.”
Escalation imminent?
With the delivery of the tanks, the war enters a new phase. Russia already called the possible delivery an “obvious provocation”. A further escalation is imminent, Deen also sees.
“For the time being, escalation only threatens on the battlefield itself. It will not yet provoke the Russian reaction that everyone fears, with weapons of mass destruction. There is no question of that yet, but everyone has it in the back of their mind.”
According to Deen, Russia will initially hunt for the tanks delivered and try to destroy them. If that succeeds, it would already be a victory for Putin in his propaganda.”
It is therefore not expected that he will immediately threaten with nuclear weapons. “That will change when the tanks start to approach Crimea. That is very sensitive in Russia.”
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