Western weapons played an important role in the defense of Ukraine after the start of the Russian invasion. In the early days, short-range weapons helped protect Ukrainian cities. Then 155 mm artillery and HIMARS missiles launched the course of the artillery war in Donbass.

Ukraine now needs a heavy, manoeuvrable force to reverse Russian conquests and liberate occupied territories, says Gustav Gressel, senior political fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations..

Despite the fact that Poland, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria transferred their Soviet-style tanks to the Ukrainian army, Ukraine will still have to switch to Western combat vehicles.. Leopard 2 tanks, especially the 2A4 and 2A5 models, are used by 13 European armies. Therefore, there are a lot of mothballed combat vehicles in warehouses that can be quickly transferred after a short repair.. Therefore, according to Gressel, Leopard 2 tanks can be delivered relatively quickly and in significant numbers to rearm the Ukrainian army..

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The expert emphasizes that the Leopard 2 is more " His crew is much more likely to survive the impact.. Considering that the war has been going on for more than a month, there are fewer and fewer experienced tank crews and commanders on both sides.. Training such personnel takes more time than buying tanks.. Therefore, Ukraine will gain an advantage if it is armed with more durable Western combat vehicles..

“There is no affordable alternative to Leopard 2 tanks. They are still being produced. And most critical parts are interchangeable between different models. This increases flexibility in the management of spare parts and support, and will also give a special advantage to Ukrainian logistics, which is under pressure due to the war,” says Gressel..

In turn, the coordinator of pan-European projects, according to Rafael Loss, predicts that the next meeting in Ramstein will be the culmination point, at which a decision will be made to provide Ukraine with Western-made tanks.. At the same time, he notes that only the European coalition can equip the Ukrainian army with a sufficient number of tanks.. Since national stocks have been greatly reduced since the end of the Cold War.

Loss notes that with reports that the Kremlin is preparing a new mobilization in Russia, Ukraine's international friends must act quickly..

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“Any decision to supply Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks on Friday needs to be supplemented by an industrial strategy to increase the production of spare parts, ammunition, new vehicles and other weapons systems to support and upgrade Ukrainian defense capabilities.. Industrial warfare requires an industrial response,” the expert stressed..

He also recalls that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz continues to insist that his country " However, his doubts about the approval of the supply of German-made Leopard 2 by other countries, as well as his refusal to take a leadership role in uniting the European coalition, create a risk that Germany will be isolated in Europe and NATO..