NATO chief not ruling out Leopard, Abrams tanks supplies to Ukraine

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that he does not rule out possible deliveries of Leopard and Abrams heavy tanks to Ukraine.

In an interview with the Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet, he also stressed that NATO should continue supplying weapons to Ukraine to retain its independence,

"No, I don't rule it out. But I can't promise anything either," Stoltenberg said.

In his opinion, although it may be problematic for Western states to support Ukraine, they should stop supplying weapons.

"I understand that it may be difficult for governments to find the money for this, but unfortunately, we live in a dangerous world, and we must maintain peace. It costs money," the NATO secretary-general said.

He noted that the alliance supplied the Ukrainian army with more weapons than could have been imagined and that now the Ukrainian Armed Forces will receive American Patriot air defence systems.

"It is most likely that this war will end at the negotiating table. What Ukrainians will be able to achieve depends on the balance of forces on the ground. If we want Ukraine to remain independent, then we must continue to support it with weapons," he added.

Earlier, the Ukrainian authorities repeatedly requested supplies of German Leopard tanks and American Abrams but were refused.

On January 8, Leopard deliveries to Ukraine were supported by vice presidents of the Bundestag Katrin Goering-Eckardt (Green Party) and Wolfgang Kubicki (FDP party). German Economy Minister Robert Habeck did not rule out Leopard supplies. The supply of tanks of this type was discussed in Poland. However, according to the Office of the President of the country, they said they could only transfer a symbolic amount of Leopard.

According to The Washington Post, the United States excludes sending Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine due to the fact that they are too heavy (55 tons) and equipped with a turbine engine that needs a significant amount of fuel.