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A monthly meeting in support of Ukraine is held at the Ramstein airbase in Germany.
Chiara SchlenzEditor News
Around 50 countries come together on Friday at the Ramstein airbase in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Under the chairmanship of US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (69), civil and military aid for Ukraine is being discussed here.
What is at stake in Ramstein?
“The Ukrainians expect a real breakthrough from the Ramstein summit in the delivery of the most modern weapon systems,” said the former Ukrainian ambassador in Berlin and current Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister, Andriy Melnyk (47), the editorial network Germany.
Means: The Ukraine allies should deliver more and heavier weapons. Jessica Berlin, a foreign policy expert, told the Tagesspiegel: “In Ramstein, Ukraine’s ability to launch a spring offensive is at stake. She needs the equipment to continue the liberation of her territory.”
Thorsten Benner, director of the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) think tank in Berlin, also recommends in an interview with the newspaper: “Ramstein should send the signal that the USA and Europe are determined to strengthen Ukraine militarily in the short term in order to gain territory achieve.”
What weapons should Ukraine get?
The West is supporting Ukraine with powerful weapons, and several allies recently announced further arms deliveries. Nevertheless, one vehicle in particular is in focus in Ramstein – the bone of contention of the military in recent weeks: the Leopard 2 tank from Germany.
Even before the conference begins, it is clear that many allies – including Poland and Finland – are pushing for deliveries. And the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (44) almost bursts at the collar. “You are grown people,” he said in an interview with ARD on the eve of the meeting. “You can talk like that for six months, but people are dying here.”
That would be feasible, Berlin is sure in the “Tagesspiegel”. “The European NATO members could supply several hundred Leopard tanks from their stocks.” Ben Hodges, ex-Commander of the US Army in Europe, even calls for US long-range ATACMS missiles – with which Ukraine would be able to recapture Crimea.
Another important item on the agenda will be ammunition. In the fight against the aggressor Russia, Ukraine uses a lot of material – which urgently needs to be stocked up if the military wants to assert itself against the Russian soldiers.
How realistic are tank deliveries?
«In plain language: can you deliver leopards or not? Then give it to me!”, says Selenski on ARD. Because Germany has been doing for months to deliver the battle tanks from the manufacturer Rheinmetall – or to allow delivery through Finland and Poland. But the international pressure is increasing. Great Britain, among others, has agreed to send 14 Challenger-2 tanks to Ukraine. Sweden also wants to deliver more artillery systems. Germany is increasingly under pressure to act.
On Wednesday, according to the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (64) announced in a conversation with US President Joe Biden (80) that they would be ready to deliver Leopard 2 – on one condition: The For their part, the United States must supply Abrams tanks. It is expected that this decision will be made at the Ramstein conference. However, Germany’s new defense minister, Boris Pistorius (62), says he is unaware of the deal.
Who is in the leadership position?
The session will be chaired by US officials – the country that supports Ukraine with the most weapons and the heaviest bags of money. However, according to expert Jessica Berlin, Poland and the Baltic States are going furthest when it comes to supporting their neighbors who have been attacked. The problem with this is that these nations do not have the material clout to support Ukraine on this path. “This potential lies with the USA, Great Britain, Germany and France.”
But Germany – the largest economy in Europe – currently prefers to let other nations go first when it comes to supporting Ukraine. “Germany should do more,” said Berlin to the “Tagesspiegel”. «The others lead the way, Germany follows. That takes time. And life in war too.”