From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, February 7, 2023
German defense minister in surprise Kyiv visit after tank deal
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleGermany’s new defense minister, Boris Pistorius, makes an unscheduled visit to Kyiv, two weeks after Berlin agreed to provide Leopard tanks to help Ukraine counter Russian forces.
Ukraine’s outgoing defense minister Oleksiy Reznikov tweets a photo of him and Pistorius holding a model replica of the tank. A defense ministry spokesman confirms the photo was taken in the Ukraine capital today.
“Thank you to @Bundeskanzler my colleague Boris Pistorius and the German people. The tank coalition is marching… to victory!” Reznikov writes.
Germany’s decision to provide 14 Leopard tanks came after weeks of intense pressure from Kyiv and many of Berlin’s European allies.
BREAKING: The «first» Leopard 2 has arrived in Kyiv ????
There will be more of them.✊
Thank you to @Bundeskanzler my colleague Boris Pistorius and the German people.
The tank coalition is marching… to victory! pic.twitter.com/4VY2YaovBi— Oleksii Reznikov (@oleksiireznikov) February 7, 2023
It also gave approval for other European countries to send the German-made tanks from their own stocks to Ukraine, and the United States later said it would send its Abrams tanks, while Britain promised its Challenger models.
In all, Ukraine says it expects between 120 and 140 modern Western tanks as the country braces for a new Russian offensive possibly in the coming weeks.
The Times of Israel Community.