Will Germany’s Leopard Tanks Be Too Late for Ukraine?

In the crucial months of a Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russia, Ukraine pleaded for German tanks—but the pleas were ignored. Yet in January, Germany announced it would deliver Leopard tanks to Ukraine. However, Germany’s tanks, along with other tanks from Europe and Canada, may come too late. The majority of Leopard 2 tanks will not arrive in Ukraine until May.

“Western equipment may not arrive in time to be of any significance to a Ukrainian offensive,” United States military expert Michael Kofman told Bild on February 7.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov noted that Russia has mobilized likely close to half a million new troops. This latest offensive is feared to potentially bring major victories for Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Daily Telegraph wrote:

Despite repeated optimistic reports of Russia running low on artillery shells—a battle winner in this conflict—Putin’s war stocks are vast, and his factories have been working around the clock to churn out even more. …

We must therefore be prepared for significant Russian gains in the coming weeks. We need to be realistic about how bad things could be—otherwise the shock risks dislodging Western resolve. The opposite occurred last summer and autumn, as flagging support in parts of Europe and the U.S. was galvanized by Ukrainian success.

The war is getting bloodier, Russia’s economy remains strong, and more troops are being deployed. A Russian victory looks more and more likely. If so, Western support will only drag out the inevitable outcome.

When the war could have been prevented, Germany ensured that Ukraine did not get needed support.

• German Chancellor Angela Merkel stopped the U.S. and Lithuania twice from delivering weapons to Ukraine, the Telegraph reported on Dec. 14, 2021.
• At the time, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy complained that Germany prevented the delivery of defensive weaponry systems within nato’s framework.
• Germany blocked another arms delivery from Estonia to Ukraine in January 2022, the month before Russia’s full-scale invasion.
• Germany also prevented serious sanctions, such as cutting Russia off from swift, the main payment method used by businesses around the world.
• This strategy continued months into the war. Politico reported in September that Germany repeatedly rejected Ukraine’s request for Leopard tanks. Bild, Germany’s most-read paper, reported that 12 European countries wanted to support Ukraine with Leopard 2 battle tanks but failed due to Germany’s blockade attitude.

Did Germany intentionally block support for Ukraine until it was too late?

As Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry writes in The Prophesied ‘Prince of Russia,’ Bible prophecy indicates that Russia will likely succeed in swallowing up Ukraine. Part of the reason is Germany’s help. This aspect is explained in Mr. Flurry’s article “Germany’s Secret Deal With Russia—Exposed.”