[Robert Habeck] is trying to save at least a modicum of trust in Germany among European partners
Media mentions – Charting the Long War
There is a big gap there in Europe, both in stockpiles and in production capacity
[This has partly pushed forward the debate about tanks] to enable the Ukrainian forces to achieve significant progress now
These are important systems insofar as they allow Ukraine to put infantry soldiers closer to the action in a way that’s kind of safe and secure for them
The advantage of Western-produced materiel is that you can then rely of a supply of Western-produced spare parts and ammunition
The battle tanks would enable Ukraine to withstand Russian attacks
German radio refers to the Leopard plan
To provide Leopard 2 tanks would be part of showing that resolve of going forward in the long war that Ukraine is still fighting
So far, there is no reason to believe that Putin’s thinking has changed in recent months