Amid growing discord, a new proposal swayed a reluctant ally, as Germany relented on Leopards and U.S. pledged (eventually) to provide Abrams tanks to Kyiv.
of fighting vehicles, such as U.S. Bradleys, German Marders, and French AMX 10-RCs.
“It was clear from that moment that the question would be whether Germany would provide the Leopards,” the German official said. From the outside, it seemed a simple question. The German-built vehicles were far more simple to use than M1s, with an abundance of available spare parts, and other nearby countries were willing to send them to the battlefield.
“The Ukrainians really wanted a country that would openly say they were sending tanks to open the way to others, and they asked Poland to be the first one. … We were sure that Germany sooner or later would succumb. … There’s no way they can say no to so many countries,” the official said. “We had reached a point, I think, where we were running out of time,” said Jim Townsend, who oversaw NATO and European policy in the Pentagon during the Obama administration.
to commit to transferring Abrams tanks. The defense secretary still had concerns, but agreed to task the Pentagon with figuring out how it could be implemented. On Monday morning, Austin and Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with Biden at the White House. The defense secretary formally recommended proceeding with the “long term” proposal for Abrams tanks.
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