Belgium to send Ukraine "substantial aid", not tanks

Belgium will send new “substantial aid” to Ukraine that will not include tanks as the country’s own defence stock are limited, according to a proposal Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder said she would present to the Council of Ministers on January 27.

Speaking to the Bel RTL radio station on Wednesday, Dedonder confirmed that her proposal to further aid Ukraine will not include tanks, Euractiv reports.

“This Friday, at the Council of Ministers, I will propose further aid to meet the urgent needs of the Ukrainians in terms of air defence and anti-tank warfare, as well as ammunition”.

Some 10 years ago, Belgium sold several of its tanks as these were no longer operational. While they could be bought back Dedonder argued that the companies that purchased the tanks are now asking for what she called an “unreasonable” price.

“These tanks were sold for the equivalent of €10,000-15,000 because they were no longer operational. […] We are looking at a resale price of €500,000 each, for equipment that is stored in warehouses and for which no repair work has been done,” she explained.

This means Belgium will not be following Germany’s lead in sending German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, despite Chancellor Olaf Scholz having given the greenlight to other countries in possession of such tanks to do so.

Germany’s move came after months of mounting pressure from its international partners, as well as from partners within Scholz’s coalition government. Germany has indeed been hesitant about delivering tanks to Ukraine and argued it could potentially escalate the conflict and draw NATO into the war.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden also announced on Wednesday that his country would send 31 Abrams tanks to Kyiv, a move welcomed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

On Tuesday, Dedonder received a parliamentary delegation from Ukraine, with which she discussed military support and the new military aid in preparation.

“We continue working together with our international partners to support Ukraine and we stand united with the Ukrainian people”, she said on Twitter.

Oleksandr Kornyenko, the vice-president of the Ukrainian parliament, who was part of the delegation, requested Belgium’s federal parliament to supply Ukraine with more weapons to fight Russia’s invasion.

“More weapons can bring us peace. This may sound contradictory but it is the reality. Without these weapons, the war will last for years to come,” Kornyenko said.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Belgium has already delivered assault rifles, machine guns, rocket launchers, anti-tank grenade launchers and anti-tank missiles, sending military equipment worth a total of €90 million, Dedonder added.