LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Britain has become the first NATO state to pledge Western-designed battle tanks to Ukraine, putting Germany and other allies under pressure to act. Ukrainian Ambassador Oleksii Makeiev made an urgent appeal to the German government over the weekend to quickly clear the way for the delivery of Leopard 2 tanks. "We have very little time to discuss," he told Deutsche Presse-Agentur. "German weapons, German tanks are essential for survival." But there are doubts about whether Germany can even deliver quickly itself. Defense contractor Rheinmetall pointed out that it would take about a year to refurbish old Leopard 2 tanks.

British want to deliver 14 tanks in the next few weeks

The British want to move faster. They want to send 14 Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine in the coming weeks. The timing is opportune because Russia is "on the defensive due to supply shortages and dwindling morale (of its troops)," a government statement in London said Saturday evening. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, it said, therefore wants to "encourage allies" to get their planned 2023 assistance to Ukraine "underway as soon as possible for maximum impact."

The British government thus wants the decision to be seen as a signal to allies. This Friday, defense ministers from Western countries will meet at the U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Rhineland-Palatinate to discuss further military support for Ukraine, which is under attack from Russia. Germany has a key role in this because the Leopard 2 tanks are produced in Germany and transfer by other countries must be approved by the federal government. This is usually enshrined in the purchase contracts.

Poland and Finland want to follow suit - Scholz waits for USA

While only Great Britain and Oman have the Challenger, 20 countries worldwide have the Leopard. In the event of a delivery of this type, the supply of spare parts and ammunition to the Ukrainian tank forces would be much easier. The Leopard 2 tank is considered one of the best battle tanks in the world, and the Ukrainians want to use it to break through enemy lines in what has recently been a rather static war of positions.

Poland and Finland have already declared their willingness to supply Leopard tanks as part of a European alliance. The German government has not yet taken a position on the matter. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) apparently wants to wait and see how the U.S., which has a heavy battle tank of its own production in the form of the M1 Abrams, behaves. Up to now, Germany has always made key decisions on arms deliveries in agreement with the Americans.

Ukrainian ambassador: "German weapons save lives".

In the dpa interview, the Ukrainian ambassador made it clear that any further hesitation could cost lives. "German weapons save lives," Makeiev said. "German anti-aircraft systems will help us intercept missiles, and German tanks will help us liberate territory. And the atrocities committed there by Russian occupation forces will decrease."

The ambassador reiterated that Ukraine is fighting this war on behalf of all its allies. "There is a term for this in German: Stellvertreterkrieg," he said. "Russia is waging a war not only against Ukraine, but against Europe and the whole civilized, democratic world. And in this war, Ukrainians are on the front lines."

Rheinmetall: Leopard tanks will be "not just repainted"

Whether Germany would be able to deliver the Leopard 2s itself quickly is unclear. "Even if the decision is made tomorrow to allow us to send our Leopard tanks to Kiev, delivery will take until early next year," Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger told Bild am Sonntag. Rheinmetall is the only German company to specialize in repairing and modernizing old Leopard 2 tanks and then reselling them.

According to Papperger, the Düsseldorf-based company has 22 Leopard 2s and 88 of the older Leopard 1 model, and repairing the decommissioned main battle tanks takes "just under a year," he said. "The vehicles are not just repainted, they have to be rebuilt for a wartime mission. They are completely taken apart and then rebuilt." Rheinmetall cannot repair the tanks without a contract, he said, because the cost would be in the hundreds of millions of euros. "Rheinmetall cannot pre-finance that," Papperger said.

29 Leopard 2 tanks for Czech Republic and Slovakia

The company will now initially supply a total of 29 Leopard tanks to the Czech Republic and Slovakia until the end of 2023 as part of the so-called ring swap. The two countries will receive them in return for handing over Soviet-designed T-72 tanks to Ukraine.

The German armed forces have already handed over most of their older Leopard 2 tanks and now only have a good 300 modern tanks that they actually need themselves. Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) would not answer the question of whether there is still capacity for Ukraine during a visit to troops last week. "There is no decision in the federal government to give away battle tanks," she said. "Therefore, this question does not arise beyond that."/mfi/DP/nas