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Transcript/ScriptGermany Europe Ukraine Tanks
HEADLINE: Europe Scrambles to Deliver Tanks in ‘Pivotal’ Moment for Ukraine War
TEASER: Analysts say timing is key as Russia is preparing spring offensive
PUBLISHED: 1/26/2023 at 5:45pm
BYLINE: Henry Ridgwell
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: London
VIDEOGRAPHER:
VIDEO EDITOR:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Reifenrath, Sharon Shahid
VIDEO SOURCE (S): Teams, Reuters, AFP, APTN
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB _X_ TV _X_ RADIO __
TRT: 2:51
VID APPROVED BY: MAS
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES:))
((INTRO)) [[Around 80 German-made Leopard 2 tanks will be sent to Ukraine in the coming weeks, according to Berlin, while Britain and the U.S. are also planning to send dozens of main battle tanks. As Henry Ridgwell reports, the decision is being seen as a pivotal moment in the war — one that also draws Western nations deeper into the conflict.]]
((NARRATOR))
Germany decided this week to send fourteen of its powerful Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine — and allow allies to send theirs, too.
Berlin said the tanks should be delivered by the end of March. The West is now racing to get the equipment in place.
((Boris Pistorius, German Defense Minister (in German) ))
“If you look at ammunition, there is also the issue of quantity. As announced yesterday, I will also hold initial talks with the arms industry on this issue.”
((NARRATOR))
Poland, Spain, Norway and Finland have all said they are willing to send Leopard tanks. Germany said Wednesday two battalions will be given to Ukraine — around 80 vehicles.
In addition, Ukraine will receive fourteen British Challenger 2 tanks and thirty-one American Abrams. Ukrainian troops will require several weeks of training on the different equipment.
((John Lough, Chatham House Russia Expert (in English) ))
“The Ukrainians have proved to be remarkably capable of absorbing Western military assistance. But it does take time. And time is not on their side, given that spring is
round the corner, and there’s an expectation that Russia is going to mount some form of major offensive.”
((NARRATOR))
NATO described the decision to send tanks as a "pivotal" moment.
((Angela Stent, Georgetown University Russia Expert (in English)))
“What Vladimir Putin is hoping for, and has been for the past few months, is that this kind of threat of intimidation and then weariness in the Europeans — particularly for the impact that sanctions is having on their own economies — that all those things will cause the transatlantic unity on this to break. But so far, it hasn't. We've seen the opposite.”
((NARRATOR))
Kyiv says it needs three hundred tanks — and Western fighter jets to defeat the Russian invasion. Could that be the next barrier for the West to overcome?
((Ed Arnold, Royal United Services Institute (in English)) )
“It'd be another escalatory measure. But I think at the moment, what they want to do is see how Ukraine get on with the tanks and then assess from there.”
((NARRATOR))
The West is now heavily invested in the Ukraine war. Its flagship battle tanks — crewed by Ukrainians — will soon go head-to-head with Russian armor on the steppes of Europe.
((John Lough, Chatham House Russia Expert (in English)) )
“This could go on for a very long time. The Russians recognize this, and we can tell from [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's messaging to Russian society, he is preparing the country for a long war. The question I think, however, on the Western side, is whether Western governments are prepared to do the same thing with their own societies.”
((NARRATOR))
Western weapons could help Ukraine expel Russian forces. But the war won’t be over anytime soon — and the resolve of governments and the public will be tested.
((Henry Ridgwell, for VOA News, London.))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)London
Embargo DateJanuary 26, 2023 21:28 EST
Byline((Henry Ridgwell, for VOA News, London.))
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
