Olaf Scholz

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz kept everyone in suspense over whether he would provide main battle tanks that Ukraine can use against the Russians. Scholz allegedly tried to squirm his way out of providing advanced German-made Leopard 2s to Kyiv. He was called out for holding back Ukraine’s defense as Russian forces pushed their way into its eastern and southern cities and towns. On Jan. 25, Scholz finally announced that he would send 14 tanks as “a first step.” Berlin then gave allies the go signal to share some of their Leopards to Ukraine. Why the delay? Speculation was that Scholz did not want Germany appearing as an aggressor against Russia. Many Germans remain sensitive to their invasion of Russia during World War II. Sending German tanks could also be misinterpreted as a departure from Berlin’s pacifist position. Observers noted that Scholz wanted US President Joe Biden “in lockstep” in sending weapons to Ukraine. Biden also hesitated in providing US-made Abrams heavy tanks but later relented. And so Scholz announced that Leopards were on their way to Ukraine.