BERLIN: Germany plans to procure more than 100 additional Leopard 2 tanks, a government spokesman said on Friday, as it seeks to ensure its troops are ready for action in response to concerns over recent Russian assertiveness.
The decision to restock its military comes as NATO tries to hasten the response time of its rapid reaction force following Russia’s annexation of Crimea last year and conflict in Ukraine.
“The ministry has decided to raise the upper limit for the future to 328,” a defense ministry spokesman told a regular government news conference on Friday, confirming a report by German magazine Spiegel.
Just before the end of the Cold War, in the 1980s, the then West Germany had more than 3,500 tanks. Now, seventy years after World War Two, it has just 225. As a result soldiers have to share tanks and heavy equipment across different units.
Given NATO’s new goals on flexibility and rapid reaction time, Germany has to ensure that it can deploy troops with the correct equipment to the right place in a short period of time, the spokesman said.
“This can only succeed if the equipment does not need to be first moved around through the country,” he said.
The Leopard tanks are made by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW).
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“Tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral,” they wrote in a post on social media.
“Europe will remain united, coordinated, and committed to upholding its sovereignty,” they added.
The statement came days after Danish and Greenlandic officials held talks in Washington over Trump’s bid to acquire the territory, without reaching agreement.
“The EU stands in full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland,” said the EU statement.
“Dialogue remains essential, and we are committed to building on the process begun already last week between the Kingdom of Denmark and the US.”
German Army to procure more tanks
German Army to procure more tanks
EU warns against Trump’s tariffs threat over Greenland
- “Tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral,” they wrote
- “Europe will remain united, coordinated, and committed to upholding its sovereignty“
BRUSSELS: European Union leaders on Saturday warned against US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on European countries until he has achieved his purchase of Greenland.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa, president of the European Council, issued the joint statement hours after Trump threatened multiple European nations with tariffs of up to 25 percent.
“Tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral,” they wrote in a post on social media.
“Europe will remain united, coordinated, and committed to upholding its sovereignty,” they added.
The statement came days after Danish and Greenlandic officials held talks in Washington over Trump’s bid to acquire the territory, without reaching agreement.
“The EU stands in full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland,” said the EU statement.
“Dialogue remains essential, and we are committed to building on the process begun already last week between the Kingdom of Denmark and the US.”
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