"Tanke shön": world welcomes Germany's decision to send tanks to Ukraine

25 January, 2023 Wednesday, 15:59

The leaders and diplomats of Great Britain, France and other European countries reacted with favorable comments after the German government officially confirmed their decision to provide Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks.

The foreign ministers wrote about this on Twitter.

"The right decision by NATO Allies and friends to send main battle tanks to Ukraine. Alongside Challenger 2s, they will strengthen Ukraine’s defensive firepower. Together, we are accelerating our efforts to ensure Ukraine wins this war and secures a lasting peace," commented the Prime Minister of Great Britain Rishi Sunak.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The right decision by NATO Allies and friends to send main battle tanks to Ukraine. Alongside Challenger 2s, they will strengthen Ukraine’s defensive firepower.<br> <br>Together, we are accelerating our efforts to ensure Ukraine wins this war and secures a lasting peace. <a href="https://t.co/55BKg7orfJ">https://t.co/55BKg7orfJ</a></p>— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) <a href="https://twitter.com/RishiSunak/status/1618199320637079554?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has also expressed his gratitude to Germany for the decision to send tanks to Ukraine. He considers the transfer of weapons to Ukraine "a big step toward stopping Russia."

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/Bundeskanzler?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Bundeskanzler</a> Olaf Scholz. The decision to send Leopards to Ukraine is a big step towards stopping Russia. Together we are stronger.</p>— Mateusz Morawiecki (@MorawieckiM) <a href="https://twitter.com/MorawieckiM/status/1618200709031415809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

"France celebrates Germany's decision which strengthens and increases the support we have established with the supply of our AMX10 RC," commented the press service of the Elysée Palace.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania reacted with a picture of the Ukrainian flag and a modified "Thank you" in German.

"I welcome the decision of the German government to provide Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks and allow other allies to do so," wrote the head of the Latvian Foreign Ministry, adding "Tanke schön", which is literally "tank you very much" in German.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It’s official ???? <a href="https://t.co/hEfb3eHJuf">pic.twitter.com/hEfb3eHJuf</a></p>— Gabrielius Landsbergis???????? (@GLandsbergis) <a href="https://twitter.com/GLandsbergis/status/1618198457071853569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“This is an important step in aiding Ukraine in Russia’s continued aggression. We will stand with Ukraine as long as it takes," wrote the head of the Estonian Foreign Ministry, Urmas Reinsalu.

▪ On January 24, Der Spiegel reported that Germany decided to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

▪ On January 25, Reuters, referring to the official statement of Germany, said that Ukraine will receive 14 Leopard 2 tanks from the Bundeswehr, and Germany also allowed other allies to provide Ukrainian defenders with German tanks.