Polish General Waldemar Skrzypczak, the former army head of command, is praising Germany’s decision to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine and expressed his hope that they could change the course of the war.
Germany and the United States announced on Wednesday that they would be sending tanks to Ukraine. Germany will supply 14 Leopard 2 tanks and will give permission for other European states to send their Leopard tanks as well. The U.S. will also send a battalion of Abrams tanks.
Skrzypczak said that Ukraine requires hundreds of Leopard tanks to be able to launch an offensive to counter Russia’s growing forces in the country.
He said he hopes that Ukraine will be able to create an “armored fist” that can change the course of the war.
The general also said that the Abrams is a very advanced tank and training Ukrainians to properly use them would take some time, whereas the Leopards would require only two to three weeks to field in battle. With the Abrams tank, that training period would most likely take at least two months.
Skrzypczak said he feels that it was U.S. pressure that led the Germans to shift their position on providing the Leopards. German business interests have long been tied to Russia, and the country is reluctant to fully engage in the war. That means the U.S. was the only country that had the clout to overcome such resistance, concluded the general.
