the supply of tanks to Ukraine “will be of great importance”

Voice of America spoke to political scientists and experts in the field of international relations on how the war in Ukraine will change with the supply of American and German tanks.Paul Goble , a former adviser to the US Secretary of State, believes that the transfer of tanks to Ukraine “will be of great importance, especially if the tanks are concentrated. Moreover, we know that the last Russian tanks sent to Ukraine are in a terrible state. They break, they don’t work, it’s a fake force multiplier. Ukraine really has the advantage. Does this mean that the war will end in 48 hours? No way. Does this mean that the Ukrainians will fight better and be better prepared for the battles they are involved in? Absolutely. Moreover, it is a confirmation of Western support for Ukraine against Russian aggression. […] Several things are important in supplying tanks: First, Germany plans to send the ones they have. Second, restrictions on shipments to other countries that have German tanks, such as Poland, are lifted. That is, the actual number of tanks will be much larger. But more importantly, it is, first, about the West overcoming past restrictions and raising the technological level of assistance to Ukraine . And secondly, it is the clearest proof that NATO is an alliance, that is, a group of countries that come together and come to an agreement. The fact that it took several days, that it was more difficult than we wanted, really means that the countries will stick to the decisions made, and will not give up the opportunity to break away. We have a common decision, and what happened with the united states and Germany almost certainly guarantees that this is the beginning of a trend of much larger deliveries of military equipment to Ukraine .“It will take about a year before the first American tanks are delivered to Ukraine and people are trained in their use. They are incredibly resource intensive and require a lot of support operations, a lot of fuel, among other things. They are much more difficult to introduce into the Ukrainian army than into the German army. Therefore, I think that the decision has above all a political objective: to demonstrate the will of the Americans and the Germans to help the Ukrainians in the offensive operations. And therefore the readiness of all other NATO members who rely on Germany and the united states for arms, such as Poland and the Baltic countries. They can now do that and support Ukraine with other types of offensive weapons. So I think the tanks are more symbolic, a sign that we’ve taken that particular step, paving the way for other types of weapons that will help Ukraine repel the Russian offensive that analysts expect to be preparing. It will also help the Ukrainians in their own offensive, which we assume will take place in the spring,” he said. Graham Robertson Professor of political science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.”Germany will hand over 14 tanks, they will be delivered almost immediately, as I understand it immediately, which means a few weeks – a few months. American Abrams tanks will not be ready until the end of this year, if not next year. But I think it was a fundamental decision. The Germans and Chancellor Scholz wanted America to commit to supplying their tanks. We all know that the Abrams tanks may not be as good as the Leopards, du less in this particular theater of operations in Ukraine . They are more difficult to maintain, more difficult to manage. “Leopard-2” is much more convenient to operate, more proven. But this was a fundamental decision. Scholz did not want send tanks without the U.S. It may not be certain that in the future the new U.S. administration will be as committed to backing Ukraine in the war with Russia as the Biden administration. therefore wants to ensure that the Americans cains commit to moving forward. It was a fundamental decision. As for the number of tanks, the Germans will provide 14 tanks, the Poles also about 14 tanks, other countries like Finland, Norway, Estonia spoke about the same number of tanks in general, in most European countries there there are about 200 tanks, and in some even more. In general, a few hundred tanks or even more can be transferred to Ukraine in a year or two. And I think that’s important. Of course, in the near future it will be only a few dozen tanks. But in the long term, and unfortunately we are talking about the long term, there will be 200 or even 300 tanks. According to the American and Ukrainian military, at least 100 tanks are needed to change the situation. So 200 or 300 will definitely make a difference. If, in addition to heavy weapons, there is the necessary support with armored vehicles, repair teams, fuel, this will help counter the Russian offensive, which is expected in the spring. And, perhaps, this will give Ukraine a chance to launch a counter-offensive in the next three to four months in order to retake the eastern territory of Donbass and, perhaps, even Crimea” , did he declare. Klaus Larres professor of international relations at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.