The Leo embarrassment again, we are chasing Putin's escalation steps

Politically speaking, the German debate over delivering heavy battle tanks to Ukraine is unfortunate: either tanks are delivered and the public is informed when they have been delivered, or they are not. However, there is no discussion of it, which eventually attracts the attention of the majority of the world, particularly the Kremlin and its spokesman, who disrupt the discussion.

The discussion that has since emerged invites Russia to continue these discussions and harms not only Germany's standing within NATO but also the alliance as a whole. Instead of democracy, political clumsiness is what we are seeing in this situation.

Basically, when it comes to supplying Ukraine, what it needs, as it is stated by German politicians, with the exception of the AfD and the left, then it is about coordinated weapon systems, about war equipment that complements and is compatible with each other, and not about deliveries on acclamation, with the military layman having the big word. Germany should have ordered 100 Leopard tanks as soon as the war began. The delivery of 40 Marder armored personnel carriers, which has since been decided, makes sense if they are to be used to defend against a significant Russian offensive anticipated in the spring, especially if the armored personnel carriers can be used in conjunction with main battle tanks.

Therefore, choosing between the Marder and Leopard tanks at the same time would have made sense. Above all, it would have been appropriate if you had ordered the construction of at least 100 Leopard tanks in Germany as soon as the Russian attack began. That way, you would have avoided having to check, a year after the start of the war, how many Leopard tanks you actually have, which ones are operational, and what you might have been able to supply.

A serious lack of strategic thinking and action is what we are currently experiencing. Politics that are forward-looking look different. Also read: Experts assess Kremlin threat: "War could escalate horizontally.". Additionally, she would make sure that Ukrainian soldiers are trained on the tank regardless of how the decision-making process for the delivery of a main battle tank plays out.

With such foresight, Germany, NATO, and the West would be able to respond quickly rather than always following the Russian escalation steps with some lag. A serious lack of strategic thinking and action is what we are currently experiencing, to put it briefly.

The real impetus behind all of the discussion surrounding arms deliveries is this deficit. This demonstrates how despised we are of autocratic governments that believe themselves to be superior to the rule of law.

Instilling that belief in them is riskier than, say, delivering main battle tanks to Ukraine at this time, assuming they have any such tanks. Above all, a further escalation of the war would cause Putin political problems.

As for the Russian warnings that this will result in a war escalation, up until now, the Russians have only done so when it was necessary in their opinion to do so based on their assessment of the situation; they did not do so when the West was discussing the availability of ever-more-advanced weapons. Threats were the only thing they did to derail these conversations.

Otherwise, the Russian army will face so many difficulties in Ukraine that it will do everything in its power to prevent invoking the involvement of new nations. Putin, however, is most concerned about the political fallout from a further escalation of the conflict, which originates from China rather than the West.

A global economic recovery is something that Xi Jinping urgently needs, and he has made it abundantly clear to Putin that he would be put in jeopardy if the war continued to escalate and involved European nations. Putin, however, is much more reliant on China than Russia is.

That is the key point.

Basically, when it comes to supplying Ukraine, what it needs, as it is stated by German politicians, with the exception of the AfD and the left, then it is about coordinated weapon systems, about war equipment that complements and is compatible with each other, and not about deliveries on acclamation, with the military layman having the big word.