“We need a change in the philosophy of arms deliveries. By that, I mean: modern battle tanks should also be delivered,” said Schmyhal to the German Press Agency, reports DW.
“We expect the USA to provide us with their Abrams tanks, and from Germany, we expect Leopard 2. These are the modern tanks that Ukraine needs on the battlefield.”
Shmyhal is expected in Berlin on Saturday. On Sunday, he will be received by Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Chancellery. He is the highest-ranking Ukrainian politician to visit Berlin since the Russian war broke out.
After initial hesitation, Germany recently delivered some heavy weapons to Ukraine: ten Panzerhaubitze 2000 heavy artillery units, 15 anti-aircraft guns, three rocket launchers, and three armored recovery vehicles.
“Germany has made immense progress regarding backing Ukraine with weapons,” said Schmyhal. “But, of course, we wish to get more weapons and equipment as soon as possible.”
Direct supplies of modern battle tanks and BMPs remain taboo for Scholz. No other NATO country has yet transferred such weapons systems to Ukraine.
Earlier, the ruling coalition of Germany advocated direct supplies of tanks to Ukraine.
Ukraine has been trying to get Western-style battle tanks for several months but has not yet received consent from the partner states.
Orest Biloskursky, the head of the Kyiv24 Applied Research Think Tank, offers an exclusive analysis…
Ukrainian National Guard fighters have destroyed a Russian Su-25 attack aircraft, which was on a…
On Tuesday, June 25, a conference in Luxembourg marked the beginning of negotiations on Ukraine's…
The Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for…
A warehouse is burning in Odesa following a missile strike. There are injured individuals, but…
In recent days, the Ukrainian Defense Forces have successfully carried out a series of strikes…