Germany announces new deal with Greece to send tanks to Ukraine – POLITICO & More News Here

Germany will assist get Soviet-era tanks from Greece to Ukraine by sending Athens trendy German automobiles as a substitute, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz introduced Tuesday.

Scholz advised reporters on the finish of a two-day European Council assembly of EU leaders in Brussels that he had spoken to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to allow such a tank swap, also referred to as a Ringtausch in German.

“This will now be discussed in very concrete terms between the defense ministries [of both countries] and can then also be implemented quickly,” the chancellor mentioned.

Germany already carried out such a Ringtausch with the Czech Republic however has confronted criticism from Poland for not but implementing the same association with Warsaw.

Scholz had proposed the tank swap scheme in April in its place to Germany immediately sending Ukraine its extra trendy Western tanks just like the Leopard or the Marder infantry preventing car — one thing the chancellor has averted doing as far as he fears it might drag NATO into Russia’s struggle with Ukraine. Under the Ringtausch scheme, nations that also have Soviet-era gear just like the T-72 battle tank or the BMP infantry preventing car can send them to Ukraine and obtain extra trendy German tanks as replacements.

This permits Western nations to keep a sure stage of deniability as a result of these Soviet-era tanks are equivalent to those Ukraine makes use of, that means it’s more durable for Russia to argue that NATO is getting concerned within the struggle by sending its high gear to Kyiv.

Meanwhile, German officers argue that the tank swap is advantageous for Kyiv as a result of Ukraine will get the identical tank fashions its troopers and mechanics are already acquainted with, whereas NATO companions like Greece can improve their army gear with the newer German tanks.

Scholz didn’t say what sort of Soviet-era tanks Greece would send to Ukraine. But in a press launch, the Greek protection ministry mentioned it could send BMP-1 infantry preventing automobiles to Ukraine and obtain “an equal number” of German Marder infantry preventing automobiles in change, with out saying what number of tanks are concerned within the settlement.

The Greek protection ministry additionally talked about that, paradoxically, the automobiles being despatched to Ukraine are “of East German origin” and despatched to Greece in 1994 — that means that, not directly, Scholz is sending automobiles of German background to Ukraine.

The deal didn’t please everybody in Greece. The nation’s predominant opposition social gathering, Syriza, rapidly blasted the federal government over the deal — a mirrored image of the tepid public assist for sending weapons to Ukraine.

“The government must stop making decisions in secret on critical national issues,” Syriza mentioned in a press release. “Even more so when the majority of the Greek people are opposed to choices that pose risks to the country’s security and are contrary to our national interests.”

Under Germany’s deal with Prague, the Czech Republic is about to obtain 14 Leopard 2A4 predominant battle tanks and one Leopard tank restoration car in change for sending Soviet tanks to Ukraine.

Berlin seems to be struggling to implement the same change with Poland, nevertheless. Last week, Polish President Andrzej Duda accused Scholz’s authorities of breaking its phrase on delivering the specified German tanks to Warsaw.

Scholz mentioned Tuesday that he had talked to Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki throughout this week’s EU summit “about the question of how we can advance such good agreements also with Poland, as we did with the Czech Republic and now also soon with Greece, and there are also some other countries in the pipeline.”

“We both want this to happen in the best possible cooperation,” Scholz mentioned.

Nektaria Stamouli contributed reporting.

I’ve tried to give all types of stories to all of you latest news today 2022 by way of this web site and you’re going to like all this information very a lot as a result of all of the information we all the time give on this information is all the time there. It is on trending matter and regardless of the newest information was

it was all the time our effort to attain you that you simply preserve getting the most recent information and also you all the time preserve getting the data of stories by way of us totally free and in addition inform you individuals. Give that no matter data associated to different varieties of information can be

made out there to all of you so that you’re all the time related with the information, keep forward within the matter and preserve getting today news all varieties of information totally free until right now as a way to get the information by getting it. Always take two steps ahead