Germany “has its own process” on Leopard tanks - White House

Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the US National Security Council John Kirby said this in an interview with Voice of America. 

Speaking about the results of the work of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Ramstein, John Kirby said that with regard to the issue of providing tanks to the Ukrainian military, “Germany is going through its own process with regard to Leopard tanks.”

“We don't twist anyone's arm, we don't push or cajole. We want countries to give what they can, when they can, where they can, and in the size and scale that suits them. And that's up to Germany to decide,” the White House spokesman emphasized.

He explained that the United States is aware that Germany is working on its own process for Leopard tanks, and training on this equipment will not require excessive training of Ukrainian military personnel. However, the decision to transfer the Leopard should be made in Germany.

• During the 8th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Ramstein on January 20, the provision of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine was not agreed upon.

• On January 21, Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov announced that Ukraine had agreed to train its tank crews on German Leopard 2 and British Challenger 2 tanks, and that the training would begin soon.

• The head of the Bundestag's defense committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, criticized German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for refusing to authorize the transfer of tanks to Ukraine.