Western Allies Offer More Weapons to Ukraine, no Decisions Made on Tanks

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RAMSTEIN AIR BASE — W estern allies on Friday dampened Ukraine’s hopes for a rapid shipment of battle tanks to boost its firepower for a spring offensive against Russian forces, with the United States urging Kyiv to hold off from mounting such an operation.

The senior-most U.S. general, speaking after a meeting of the allies at Ramstein Air Base, also said it would be very hard for Ukraine to drive Russia’s invading forces from the country this year.

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Prior to Ramstein’s meeting, the focus was on whether Germany would allow Ukraine to receive Leopard 2 tanks or if it would refuse to send them.

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Officials stated that there was no agreement to supply Leopards. However, pledges for large quantities, including air defense systems and another model of tank, were made.

A senior U.S. official in Washington stated that the United States was still sticking to its decision to not provide Abrams tanks for Ukraine. According to the official, it wanted to see U.S. weapons in place and the training being provided.

U.S. General Mark Milley was the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff in Ramstein. “From a military standpoint, I still maintain that for this year, it would be very, very difficult to militarily eject the Russian forces from every inch of Russian-occupied Ukraine.”

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As the Ukraine continues to suffer from the Russian invasion in February, the developments are likely to disappoint them. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy specifically asked for more tanks.

Because they are so widely used, the German-built Leopards can be a great choice for Ukraine. This means that several countries could contribute some tanks to help Ukraine. These tanks would be an advantage for Ukraine as it moves from defensive to offensive operations.

Lloyd Austin, U.S. Defense Secretary, spoke earlier in the day and urged allies not to make specific references to tanks, but to dig deeper to help Ukraine.

“Russia is regrouping, recruiting, and trying to re-equip,” he stated at the beginning. “This is not a moment to slow down. It’s a time to dig deeper. The Ukrainian people are watching us,” He said.

According to the Kremlin, supplying tanks for Ukraine would be counterproductive and would make the West regret it. “delusion” Kyiv could win the battleground.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told Reuters Ukraine’s backers needed to focus not only on sending new weapons, but supplying ammunition for older systems and helping maintain them.

(Reporting by Reuters bureaux. Writing by Philippa Fletcher and Angus MacSwan. Editing by Frank Jack Daniel, Jon Boyle.