The representative of the White House noted that one of the critical needs of the Armed Forces in the winter and, most likely, in the spring, will be armored vehicles.

There is no “confrontation” within the Western coalition regarding the provision of military support to Ukraine. Therefore, no one will put pressure on Germany regarding the supply of tanks to Ukraine.

John Kirby, coordinator of strategic communications of the US National Security Council, stated this in an interview with “Voice of America”. According to him, the administration of US President Joe Biden considers it important that every country that “can support Ukraine in its defense needs, [сделала бы это] right now”.

He noted that one of the critical needs of the Armed Forces in the winter and, most likely, in the spring, will be armored vehicles due to the nature of the hostilities they are waging in Donbas. In this regard, Kirby noted that the US welcomes Britain’s decision to send Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine.

“We know that Germany is developing its own initiative regarding Leopard 2 tanks. These are excellent tanks, powerful, and do not require long-term training of Ukrainians. But this decision should be made by Germany. We will not wring our hands, push and persuade. We want countries to give the , what they can, when they can, to the size, scale and scope that suits them. That’s up to Germany… In the last few months, they’ve really increased their readiness and capacity to deliver modern assets,” he commented.

At the same time, Kirby noted that NATO remains a firm supporter of Ukraine. “I wouldn’t call it a confrontation. These are regular discussions we have with all our allies about what they can deliver and on what scale. These are sovereign countries, they will decide for themselves, because they have their own needs in the national sphere.” safety concerns they need to consider, just like we do. But in general, we can say that the Alliance firmly supports Ukraine, and we do not see this support falling apart,” Kirby said.

In addition, Kairbi noted that according to the White House, the Russian Federation should be held accountable for crimes committed in Ukraine.

Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine

Discussions about transferring these German tanks to the Armed Forces continue. At first, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that “Germany does not want to allow the expansion of the scale of the war.” He then agreed to provide tanks to Ukraine, but only on the condition that the US also provide Abrams tanks.

On January 18, the European Parliament called on Scholz to urgently transfer Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. And already on January 19, the Bundestag failed to vote on the provision of tanks to Kyiv.