Declaration of the Baltic states on Leopard tanks. The Germans are calling to make a move

The foreign ministers of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia made a declaration regarding the immediate delivery of Leopard tanks to Ukraine. In their opinion, Germany “as a leading European power bears a special responsibility” for helping Kyiv fighting against Moscow.

On Friday, at a meeting in the Ramstein base, representatives of 50 countries supporting Ukraine discussed the possibilities of military assistance for this country. However, no agreement was reached on the transfer of Leopard tanks to Ukraine.

The new head of the German Defense Ministry, Boris Pistorius, said in Ramstein that “there is no unified approach to the transfer of Leopard tanks. He stressed that all the pros and cons should be carefully weighed.” There are many allies who are against this delivery, he added.

Germany's attitude on this matter is crucial, as the country where the equipment is produced must agree to transfer it to a non-NATO country.

Declaration by Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia

On Saturday, the heads of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Lithuanian Gabrielius Landsbergis, Latvian Edgars Rinkēvičs and Estonian Urmas Reinsalu – issued a joint statement.

"We call on Germany to immediately deliver Leopard tanks to Ukraine. This is needed to stop Russian aggression, help Ukraine and quickly restore peace in Europe. Germany, as the leading European power, bears a special responsibility in this regard," they said.

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During his visit to Lviv on January 11, Andrzej Duda announced that Poland would hand over a company of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. This means that 14 tanks would be delivered to Kiev. Finland followed Poland's footsteps and is also ready to transfer some of its vehicles to the Ukrainian front. There is a chance that other countries will join the international coalition.

They will also go to Ukraine. Challengers from Great Britain, and according to media reports, France is considering sending its Leclerc tanks.

What is the Leopard 2?

The German-made Leopard 2 is one of the most well-reputed battle tanks in the world, perhaps second only to the U.S.-made M1 Abrams tank, military arms experts said.

The Leopard 2 was originally designed in the 1970s for the West German army in response to Soviet threats during the Cold War. They are built to move quickly over a variety of terrain and confront enemy armor — like the tanks Russia has been using on the ground in Ukraine since the first days of its invasion last year.

Each tank boasts a 44- or 55-caliber 120-mm main gun and a 1,500-horsepower engine that allows it to move as fast as 44 mph (70.81 km/h), according to Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, the German defense company that manufactures the tank. Some 60 tons of armor protect their crews from return fire.

Why are tanks important to Ukraine's war effort?

Since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine last February, tanks have been prominent on the battlefield.

For its part, Ukraine has mostly relied on Soviet-era T-72 tanks. The West has already supplied other armored vehicles and pledged to send still more, including Bradley fighting vehicles and Stryker combat vehicles from the U.S., and a newly announced shipment of Challenger 2 tanks from the U.K.

Still, Western tanks could play a role this spring, when both Russia and Ukraine are widely expected to launch renewed efforts in the conflict.

Poland ready for “non-standard actions”

Consent to the transfer of Leopard 2 tanks to a non-NATO country must be issued by Germany, which is the manufacturer of this equipment. On Friday, however, the deputy head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pawel Jablonski, said that Poland is ready to take non-standard measures regarding Leopards.

— I think that if there is strong resistance, we will be ready to take such non-standard actions, even if someone is offended by it. But let's not get ahead of the facts, let's try to ensure that as many countries with us as possible have an effective impact on Germany, he explained.