Tanks for Ukraine is priority for new defense minister – Germany's Vice-Chancellor
Photo: Spiegel
For Boris Pistorius, when he officially becomes Germany's new defense minister, the first item on the agenda will be a decision on tanks for Ukraine.
Reuters reports.
"When the person, when the minister of defense, is declared, this is the first question to be decided concretely," said Vice Chancellor, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck.
Germany is cautious about approving the supply of tanks to Ukraine. It says it is worried that such a move could be seen as an escalation.
Many alliance members say this concern is misplaced, as russia shows no signs of abandoning its intentions to take over Ukraine.
German-made Leopard battle tanks are widely regarded as the only possible option for supplying Ukraine with the large-scale tank forces it needs.
But they cannot be delivered without the permission of Berlin, which is still delaying the decision.
According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, five countries, including Poland, are ready to transfer Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, but they are waiting for Germany's decision.
On January 15, the British government confirmed plans to transfer a squadron of 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine and about 30 self-propelled guns of 155 mm caliber AS90.
As Rubryka wrote, the media reports that the Minister of Internal Affairs of Lower Saxony, Boris Pistorius, will become Germany's new federal minister of defense.
On January 13, it became known that the German Minister of Defense, Christine Lambrecht, decided to resign from the post of Minister of Defense.
Pistorius has been Minister of the Interior and Sports of Lower Saxony since 2013. Before that, he gained experience working at the municipal level, holding, in particular, the position of mayor of the city of Osnabrück.
He has been a member of SPD since 1976.
As Spiegel points out, Pistorius was considered one of the most popular ministers in Lower Saxony due to his directness. In recent years, he has also been the most visible of the SPD's interior ministers, well-connected to the security agencies and well-versed in refugee policy.
