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“The battle for freedom and our future is raging as we speak. "I call for decisive actions by the German government, for all sorts of weapons to be delivered," said Morawiecki in a keynote speech at a special ceremony in the German parliament.

On Monday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki once again called on Germany to send Ukraine all the weapons it needs, including battle tanks. Germany has held back on supplying Ukraine with its offensive Leopard 2 tanks with Chancellor Olaf Scholz repeatedly voicing concerns over his country being perceived as escalating the conflict and provoking Russian President Vladimir Putin.īerlin’s hesitancy has come under severe criticism from Poland and the Baltic nations as the devastating Ukraine war grinds towards its first anniversary next month. It was also another challenge to Germany as Europe’s most populous nation comes under increasing pressure to supply Kyiv with its Leopard 2 tanks, or least give the green light for other European nations to re-export their German battle tanks to Ukraine. It marked the first Western donation of main battle tanks, or MBTs, to Ukraine.

But as Ukrainian troops attempt to break through Russia’s deep, fixed frontline defences in the Donbas, tanks have been dominating the discourse in the lead-up to the Ramstein meeting.īritain upped the stakes over the weekend, when Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Saturday said the UK would deliver a squadron of 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine. “Sending Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine is the start of a gear change,” Sunak's office said in a statement late Saturday. With weeks to go before the winter snows melt, and with Russia mobilised for a spring offensive, Ukraine requires a massive firepower boost from its Western allies – and it needs it fast.Įnter the tank, a piece of military hardware once considered obsolete and too expensive for modern warfare.

The meeting could not have come at a more critical time. Tanks have rolled onto centre stage this week as members of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group are set to meet at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Friday, January 20, for a third such gathering since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year.