Kyiv blasts Germany’s ‘excuses’ over refusal to deliver tanks

Ukraine’s foreign minister slams Berlin for its failure so far to deliver Leopard battle tanks despite repeated pleas from Kyiv.

“Not a single rational argument on why these weapons cannot be supplied, only abstract fears and excuses,” says Dmytro Kuleba.

“What is Berlin afraid of that Kyiv is not?” he says in a post on Twitter.

After initial reluctance to provide Ukraine with lethal weapons to beat back the Russian invasion, Germany has since upped its support for Kyiv’s troops.

Piles of ammunition and rocket launchers have been delivered to Ukraine, as well as dozens of anti-aircraft tanks and howitzers.

Kyiv is however pushing for more weapons deliveries to consolidate recent battlefield gains, including Leopard battle tanks.

But Berlin has so far declined to send the battle tanks, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday saying Germany would not “go it alone” on weapons deliveries without coordinating with allies.

His Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht on Monday also stressed that no country had sent Western-made battle tanks to Ukraine.