Ukraine Russia war latest: Germany ‘agrees to send tanks’ to help fight Putin’s forces

Germany has decided to send a convoy of its main battle tanks to Ukraine, reports suggest, after days of pressure from Berlin’s allies.

Ukraine and many of Berlin’s Nato partners have been pleading for a decision on whether Germany would permit them to send German-made Leopard 2 tanks to help Kyiv as the battlefield begins to thaw.

Der Spiegel reported on Tuesday evening that chancellor Olaf Scholz had finally decided to allow allies such as Poland to do so – and that Berlin would also send tanks of its own.

Today marks the start of the 12th month since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

On the eve of the grim anniversary, president Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to pass the day “in the same way as the 334th, uniting all our forces for one thing – victory”.

“For the sake of the whole of Ukraine. For the sake of the victory of our entire country in the war for freedom and independence for all Ukrainians,” he added.

“It will happen. And all the steps necessary for this will be taken.”

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that that Kyiv needs “decisions” on real deliveries of modern tanks – after reports that Germany was poised to announce a move to send Leopard 2 battle tanks to the war-torn nation.

There has not yet been any official confirmation of the move, and such deliveries could take weeks or months to become reality.

“There is a lot of talk about tanks now,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address. “About the modern tanks we need. And about how to fill this deficit. A lot of effort, words, and promises.

“But it is important to see the reality: it is not about five, or ten, or fifteen tanks. The need is greater. Every day we are doing everything necessary to fill the deficit. And I am grateful to everyone who supports us in this.

“Discussions must be concluded with decisions. Decisions on real strengthening of our defense against terrorists. Allies have the required number of tanks. When the needed weighty decisions are made, we will be happy to thank you for each weighty decision.”

A senior aide to Voldymyr Zelensky has welcomed reports that Germany could be poised to announce plans to send a convoy of Leopard 2 battle tanks to Kyiv – and allow allies to do the same.

“A few hundred tanks for our tank crews – the best tank crews in the world,” Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration, wrote on Telegram.

“This is what is going to become a real punching fist of democracy against the autocracy from the bog.”

President Joe Biden is set to announce that the US will provide dozens of M1A2 Abrams tanks to Ukraine.

The official announcement could come as soon as Wednesday, according to multiple media outlets which cited US officials on the early news.

Our Washington DC correspondent John Bowden reports:

The incoming US ambassador to Russia has held a meeting with Moscow’s top envoy in Washington, the State Department has said.

Lynne Tracy, who was confirmed by the US Senate in December, will depart for Russia in coming days and should be in place later this month, spokesperson Ned Price said.

He declined to detail what the two envoys have discussed but said they did not talk about “any form of negotiated settlements” over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“She’s currently in the process of having consultations with desks and individuals here in Washington and in this case, she had an opportunity to have a discussion with Ambassador [Anatoly] Antonov,” Mr Price said.

A Swiss parliamentary committee has proposed waiving a re-export ban that prevents ammunition it manufactures from being re-exported from another country to Ukraine.

Switzerland has previously rejected appeals from Germany to allow it to re-export Swiss-made ammunition to Ukraine, saying such a move would violate its neutrality. But pressure has been rising for Bern to review its policies, including at the World Economic Forum it hosted in Davos last week.

The committee argued on Tuesday that its proposals did not violate Swiss neutrality rules since the arms would go via another country and not directly to a conflict zone – and its recommendation passed with 14 in favour and 11 against. It will require later approval from parliament.

G7 and other partner countries have pledged to maintain their support for Ukraine’s energy sector, including delivering equipment and other humanitarian aid during winter, the US State Department said following a meeting of the group’s foreign ministers.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken and Japanese foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi co-hosted the meeting, in which countries also vowed to continue coordinating on Ukraine’s efforts to “modernise and decarbonize its energy grid,” the department said after the virtual meeting.

The foreign ministers reiterated calls for Russia to halt attacks on Ukraine’s energy and heating systems, the State Department added in a statement.

“The group committed to continuing its close coordination to deliver equipment and humanitarian support this winter, procure essential infrastructure, and support Ukraine’s long-term vision to modernize and decarbonise its energy grid and integrate with the European system,” it said.

With reports that Germany could be poised to announce the approval of Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine, what has Russia previously said about such deliveries?

Various threats emanated from Russia last week as Western officials mulled sending more powerful weapons to Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov insisted that Western tanks would not change the course of the conflict – but warned that Nato would regret its “delusion” that Ukraine could win on the battlefield and threatened such deliveries “will add problems for … the Ukrainian people.”

Warning of “a growing indirect and sometimes direct involvement of Nato countries”, Mr Peskov claimed the belief that Ukraine can win was a “dramatic delusion of the Western community that will more than once be cause for regret”.

In more direct threats from other close allies of president Vladimir Putin, his ex-prime minister Dmitry Medvedev warned that Moscow’s defeat in Ukraine “may trigger a nuclear war”, while Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin claimed that Western weapons deliveries “will lead to a global catastrophe”.