Ukrainian leaders and their closest allies had a hard time coming to terms with Berlin’s indecision to deploy its Leopard 2 combat vehicles to the war in Ukraine at Friday’s rally at the base in Germany, Ramstein, which brought together about 50 allies and partner nations .
New German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said he did not know when Berlin would respond and in what way to tanks. Ukrainian Defense Minister Olekseii Reznikov sidestepped the issue by announcing that Ukrainian military personnel will receive training in Poland. “Countries that already have Leopard tanks can begin training missions for our tank crews,” he noted.
Nevertheless, he was satisfied with the outcome of the eighth contact group meeting chaired by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, which emphasized the strengthening of anti-aircraft defenses. “We didn’t just talk about Patriots in Ramstein, but other systems as well. We’re talking about short, medium, and long range systems, also in terms of altitude range,” Reznikov said.
On the most topical issue, Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Melnyk, who became known to the Germans when he was Ambassador to Berlin, made no secret of his “disappointment”, saying that it was “ridiculous” that the German army and German industry “after 331 days of brutal war are still inventorying their stocks to see if they have anything to ship to Ukraine,” he told CNN.
Finally, President Zelensky’s adviser – who took part in the funeral ceremony for the 14 dead in the helicopter crash that killed the interior minister and two subordinates – criticized the “global indecisiveness” that will at least help Ukraine “with the necessary weapons,” said Mikhailo Podolyak. “But today’s indecision kills more people. Every day of delay is the death of Ukrainians. Think faster.” A similar call was endorsed by the heads of diplomacy of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
On the ground, Russia is announcing progress both in Donetsk, especially around Bakhmut, and in Zaporizia, though the conflict is “at a standstill” overall, according to the assessment of Britain’s Defense intelligence services.
Chisinau moves
The Russian invasion of Ukraine had other geopolitical consequences. Sweden and Finland have given up their neutrality and joined NATO, but despite a fast accession process, they are dependent on ratification by the parliaments of Hungary and Turkey. Turkish leader Erdogan has exploited the file to the full for domestic consumption and to persecute his opponents, be it Kurds or the Gülenist movement.
Ankara got concessions from Stockholm: the Swedish parliament approved a constitutional amendment that clears the way for prosecution of terrorist organizations, such as the PKK. However, the Turks say that ratification now depends on the extradition of people they accuse of terrorism or played a role in the 2016 coup attempt, something that does not depend on the government.
With presidential elections in May, the Turkish government canceled a visit by the Swedish defense minister because the Swedish authorities allowed a demonstration by an anti-Islam activist in Stockholm. Rasmus Paludan, a Swedish-Danish right-wing politician, led a protest outside the Turkish embassy, criticizing Islam and setting fire to a copy of the Koran.
Another country that plans to give up neutrality is Moldova. Speaking to Politico, President Maia Sandu said there is an ongoing national debate over whether the small country is capable of defending itself or “whether it should be part of a larger alliance,” without mentioning NATO’s name. . Moldova not only has a Russian base on its territory against its will, in the breakaway region of Transnistria, but is also one of the countries most affected by Russian aggression: it is the state that has the most refugees per capita and is directly affected by the bombing of Ukrainian infrastructure as its energy system depends on the Ukrainian.
As a former Soviet state, Chisinau has been warned by the Putin regime about the consequences of seeking the West. “Russian propaganda managed to convince part of the population that neutrality means that it is not necessary to invest in the defense sector, that neutrality means that nothing is done and that there is an opportunity to defend yourself, which is wrong Sandu said.
Source: DN
