Does Germany sending tanks to Ukraine mean the US is open to sending their own?
Generously, you’d call the tank debate an evolution of views among Western policymakers.
Ungenerously, it’s rather a debacle and certainly doesn’t present the united front that Western nations have strived for through this year-old war.
The Ukrainians have become used to this pattern of Western indecision.
It follows a now familiar theme: have an almighty row, say “no”, and then agree. It’s almost baked into Ukrainian request lead time.
The news from Berlin and Warsaw – that tanks can go to Ukraine after all – suggests movement from the Americans.
Remember the Germans had said consistently that they didn’t want it to be only their tank fighting the Russians. (The British offering of a handful of Challenger 2s didn’t swing them.)
The Germans wanted the American M1 Abrams tank alongside their own Leopards.
The Americans said no. Their tank is much larger, has fuel issues – it’s designed to work with jet fuel not readily available on the Ukrainian frontline, it’s far heavier and relies on a unique, complex supply chain. Remember, in war, the success of any army and its kit is wholly reliant on a constant, smooth supply chain.
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Will Germany send tanks to Ukraine?
The M1 Abrams is also highly sophisticated and packed full of manufacturing secrets including composite armour containing hard-to-penetrate depleted uranium meshing.
The battle tank is the tip of an army’s spear. If it’s destroyed and left the wrong side of advancing enemy lines, then its secrets are compromised.
It’s one thing having American troops operating and, if needed, destroying their own damaged tanks. Can they rely on Ukrainian soldiers doing the same? This will be one consideration among many for the Americans when considering supplying their Abrams.
Within the American debate, opinion has been split. “Why not provide just a few tanks, older less sophisticated models, to unlock the impasse?” some politicians and generals have asked.
Even the former British prime minister, such a staunch supporter of Ukraine, chimed in.
“Where does the Western world need to station tanks at the moment?” Boris Johnson asked.
“Guarding North Rhine-Westphalia? Protecting Tennessee? Prowling the villages of Wiltshire? So let me pose the question again: what conceivable grounds can there be for delay?”
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At the Pentagon, the spokesman wouldn’t be drawn, even as the word from Berlin was of movement.
But General Pat Ryder did hint at an announcement down the line, talking about not wanting to “preview an announcement”.
And so expect news perhaps as soon as today from Washington.
It’s likely that any American tanks will take some time to reach the battlefield.
This will allow for the supply chain concerns to be ironed out and to allow time for training. It could also provide space to explore ways to reduce the risk of any prized technology within the tanks from getting into the hands of the Russians.
Of course the perennial unknown: how will Putin react? Western tanks in the fight will change the picture and his unpredictable red lines are a constant concern.
Anti-Trump protests took place across America on Saturday, with demonstrators decrying the administration’s immigration crackdown and mass firings at government agencies.
Events ranged from small local marches to a rally in front of the White House and a demonstration at a Massachusetts commemoration of the start of the Revolutionary War 250 years ago.
Thomas Bassford, 80, was at the battle reenactment with his two grandsons, as well as his partner and daughter.
He said: “This is a very perilous time in America for liberty. I wanted the boys to learn about the origins of this country and that sometimes we have to fight for freedom.”
At events across the country, people carried banners with slogans including “Trump fascist regime must go now!”, “No fear, no hate, no ICE in our state,” and “Fight fiercely, Harvard, fight,” referencing the university’s recent refusal to hand over much of its control to the government.
Some signs name-checked Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadorian citizen living in Maryland, who the Justice Department admits was mistakenly deported to his home country.
Read more: Donald Trump’s deportations explained
Pic: AP
People waved US flags, some of them held upside down to signal distress. In San Francisco, hundreds of people spelt out “Impeach & Remove” on a beach, also with an inverted US flag.
People walked through downtown Anchorage in Alaska with handmade signs listing reasons why they were demonstrating, including one that read: “No sign is BIG enough to list ALL of the reasons I’m here!”
Pic: AP
Protests also took place outside Tesla car dealerships against the role Elon Musk ahas played in downsizing the federal government as de facto head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The protests come just two weeks after similar nationwide demonstrations.
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Organisers are opposing what they call Mr Trump’s civil rights violations and constitutional violations, including efforts to deport scores of immigrants and to scale back the federal government by firing thousands of government workers and effectively shuttering entire agencies.
The Trump administration, among other things, has moved to shutter Social Security Administration field offices, cut funding for government health programs and scale back protections for transgender people.
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