It is not a secret: in the war that it must wage to repel the Russian invader, Ukraine lacks planes but also armored vehicles. Last December, Valéri Zaloujny, the chief of staff of his armies, had also quantified the need for him at “300 tanks”.
And we’re way off the mark right now. True, the UK announced a donation of 14 Challenger 2 tanks on Saturday, but the German-made Leopard 2s are slow to aim the end of their guns. And Leclerc’s French tanks in all this? According to the elements collected by BFMTV from the executive this Wednesday, and the statements of the Minister of the Armed Forces in the Senate, the matter is under study but no decision has been made. It must be said that it is not exempt from geopolitical considerations and requires guarantees.
Towards a “quick fix”?
The Elysee first told us that the supply of Leclerc tanks to Ukraine remained “hypothetical” at this stage. However, when asked about it in the Senate, Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu confirmed: “Emmanuel Macron asked us to find a quick solution for the delivery of tanks to Ukraine.”
The minister also recalled that France had offered AMX 10-RC armored vehicles to its ally. “A solution acclaimed by the Ukrainians,” he argued. But these machines are lighter than Leclerc tanks and are better suited for reconnaissance missions than combat.
“Maintenance in conditions” of the equipment at the center of concerns
While acknowledging that the possibility of equipping the Ukrainians with Leclerc tanks was being studied, Sébastien Lecornu also stressed the need to observe a certain degree of caution: “We are examining the request for Leclerc tanks based on the criteria that we maintain for each task “. He then he listed them: first “to ensure that the equipment is used for defensive purposes”, then “so as not to degrade our defense system and finally the” guarantee to keep in operational condition what has already been delivered to Ukraine.
The Minister thus deplored the fact that one of the delivered CAESAR cannons was already “out of service”. “Keeping Leclerc’s tanks in operational condition is a particularly sensitive issue,” he said.
Train Germany in its wake
Even if Paris decides to take the plunge, Kyiv shouldn’t expect to see an armada land. According to our information from a military source, the idea under study is to send a very symbolic number of Leclerc tanks to the Ukrainian front, to put pressure on the Germans.
In fact, all eyes, Ukrainian and European, have been on the Leopard 2 produced by German factories for several days. And in abundance: Germany produced 2,000 of them to sell to continental partners. However, two of them, Poland and Finland, have expressed their willingness to deliver some of their copies to the attacked nation. Except they need the Berlin agreement to take action: Germany requires buyer states to seek its approval before selling weapons made on its territory to a third country. And the foreign ministry is currently holding back with four irons.
Source: BFM TV
