Alisa Weidel, co-chair of the right-wing opposition Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, said German-made Leopard 2 tanks should not be used in Ukraine against Russia, otherwise it would escalate the conflict. Weidel voiced her warnings to journalists during a conversation between the heads of the factions and the press on January 24.
“The request of the Polish government to allow the export of German battle tanks to Ukraine is a cause of great concern for us,” the AfD co-chair shared live on the Phoenix TV channel.
On behalf of the faction, she appealed to Chancellor Olaf Scholz to maintain an evasive position on the issue of sending Leopard battle tanks.
According to her, Germany is increasingly becoming a party to the war, which could lead to unpredictable consequences for the Germans.
“First financial aid, then armored vehicles, now battle tanks. What will happen next? Aircraft? Combat helicopters? Ground army? And then the combat troops?” Weidel warned.
She believes that Scholz should now show himself as a supporter of peace and peace negotiations and not drag Germany into this conflict.
On January 24, the German magazine Der Spiegel reported that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had decided to transfer Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. We are talking about a whole company of 2A6 tanks that are in service with the Bundeswehr.
Also on that day, it became known that the leadership of Germany could already on January 25 approve Poland’s request for the supply of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the ABC TV channel, citing an unnamed high-ranking Ukrainian official, announced the agreement of 12 countries to send Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv if Berlin gives its permission.
In addition to countries such as Poland and Finland, which have already publicly announced their readiness to provide Ukraine with a certain number of their Leopard 2 tanks, it turned out that Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark are also ready to supply some of their tanks for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. However, all this still requires the consent of the German authorities.
Meanwhile, Michael McCall, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the US House of Representatives, pointed out that the supply of even one American Abrams tank to Ukraine is enough for Europe to start sending German Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv.
On January 20, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the supply of heavy weapons by Western countries to Kyiv would only add problems for Ukraine, but would not change anything in Russia’s progress towards achieving its goals.
Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Ukraine against the background of the Russian special operation to protect Donbass, which began on February 24, 2022. The decision to hold it was made against the backdrop of the aggravated situation in the region due to increased shelling by Ukrainian troops.
