Why Germany Agonized Over Sending Tanks to Ukraine

Germany has finally decided to send its coveted Leopard 2 battle tanks to the Ukrainian frontlines, German news magazine Der Spiegel first reported Tuesday, though a formal announcement has yet to be made. The about turn comes as U.S. officials revealed this week that the Biden administration also plans to shed its prior reluctance and begin to supply tanks to Ukraine.

Last year, Germany’s approach to the ongoing war in Ukraine was defined by Zeitenwende—the historic “turning point” in which Chancellor Olaf Scholz scrapped decades of Germany’s military policy in order to meet the needs of Europe once again at war. As part of this turning point, Scholz announced a plan to dramatically increase the country’s defense spending and, for the first time since World War II, send weapons to a war-zone.