Germany to send 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine

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2 years ago

January 25, 2023

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Germany will send 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and has authorised partner countries to also send them – despite threats from Russia.

It means other countries – such as Poland, Spain and Norway – which have stocks of the NATO-standard tank can now supply them to Kyiv.

Yesterday, Moscow warned Berlin that sending tanks “does not bode well for future relations” – and told the US that should it authorise such a move it would be a “blatant provocation”.

Ukraine war – latest: Russia sends warning to US over tanks

Kyiv has been pleading for months for Western nations to send modern battle tanks to give its forces the firepower and mobility it hopes will break through Russian defensive lines and recapture territory occupied by Russia.

“This decision follows our well-known line of supporting Ukraine to the best of our ability,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a statement on Wednesday. “We are acting in a closely coordinated manner internationally.”

Although Ukraine has stocks of Soviet-made tanks, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his forces need more, faster and deadlier weapons – in particular Western tanks – to push the Russians back.

There had been a sense of frustration among some of Germany’s allies about the delay in authorising the Leopards to go to Ukraine.

First time since WW2 German tanks will fight on European soil

Sky’s Siobhan Robbins in Berlin said the delay in the German chancellor’s decision was driven by fears he may escalate the war or make Germany a target.

“This is the first time since World War Two that German battle tanks will fight on a European battlefield,” she said.

“The chancellor had to balance the needs of Ukraine with the safety and support of Germans.”

The German decision comes after the UK announced it would provide 14 Challenger 2 tanks, which was widely seen as an attempt to persuade other allies to send Leopards, of which there are much higher stocks across Europe.

‘Big step towards stopping Russia’

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hailed the move “the right decision by NATO Allies and friends”.

“Alongside Challenger 2s, they will strengthen Ukraine’s defensive firepower. Together, we are accelerating our efforts to ensure Ukraine wins this war and secures a lasting peace,” he said.

Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki, who was among those critical of Germany’s reluctance, also welcomed the decision as a “big step towards stopping Russia”.

Earlier this week he had said he was prepared to build a “smaller coalition” of countries that would send their tanks to Ukraine.

Sky News understands that American officials will soon announce their intention to send Abrams tanks to help Kyiv fight off Russia’s invasion.

Russian tanks in ‘poor condition’

It comes as British intelligence suggested Russia’s most modern tank had been rushed to the warzone despite not being fully operational.

“In recent months, deployed Russian forces were reluctant to accept the first tranche of T-14 allocated to them because the vehicles were in such poor condition,” the UK Ministry of Defence said in its latest Twitter update.

“It is unclear exactly what aspects of the vehicles prompted this reaction, but within the last three years, Russian officials have publicly described problems with the T-14’s engine and thermal imaging systems.

“Therefore, it is unlikely that any deployed T-14 tanks will have met the usual standards for new equipment to be deemed operational,” the MoD added.

‘Global catastrophe’

First introduced in 1979, the Leopard 2 offers good protection against armour-piercing rounds and anti-tank guided weapons.

On Sunday, the speaker of the lower house of Russia’s parliament, State Duma chairman Vyacheslav Volodin, said: “Supplies of offensive weapons to the Kyiv regime would lead to a global catastrophe.

“If Washington and NATO supply weapons that would be used for striking peaceful cities and making attempts to seize our territory as they threaten to do, it would trigger a retaliation with more powerful weapons.”

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Iran not complying with nuclear obligations for first time in almost 20 years, says UN watchdog

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2 hours ago

June 12, 2025

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Iran not complying with nuclear obligations for first time in almost 20 years, says UN watchdog

The UN nuclear watchdog’s board of governors has found that Iran is not complying with its nuclear obligations for the first time in 20 years.

It comes as sources have told US media that Israel is considering taking military action against Iran in the coming days – without American support.

Iran said it has “always adhered” to the safeguard obligations laid down by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Tehran said it “has no choice but to respond to this political resolution,” and said it would launch a new enrichment site “in a secure location”.

“Other measures are also being planned and will be announced subsequently,” Iran said.

The reports come as US President Donald Trump is said to be in advanced discussions with Iran about a diplomatic deal to curtail the Middle Eastern country’s nuclear programme.

However Mr Trump told the New York Post’s “Pod Force One” podcast that he was “getting more and more less confident about” an agreement.

Iran will not abandon what it views as its right to enrich uranium – contrary to US demands, a senior Iranian official said on Thursday.

Last week, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that abandoning such enrichment was “100%” against the country’s interests.

Israel is said to have become more serious about a unilateral strike on Iran, particularly with reports that a deal between the US and Iran could include provisions about uranium enrichment. Israel views those provisions as unacceptable.

Such a strike would be a dramatic break with the Trump administration’s foreign policy.

With tensions in the region simmering as the nuclear discussions unfold and with the potential for unrest, the US State Department ordered the evacuation of all non-essential personnel from its embassy in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.

America has also authorised – rather than ordered – the departure of non-essential personnel and family members from Bahrain and Kuwait

Israel has made no secret of its assessment that Iran is politically and militarily weak, and there has rarely been a better moment to strike its nuclear facilities.

So far, pressure from the US has stopped them acting.

But nuclear talks between Iran and the US are faltering, President Trump is no longer confident a deal can be reached, and Israel has said it is ready to strike if the talks collapse. That moment could be nearing.

A further round of negotiations is set to take place in Oman this weekend. If Iran remains insistent that it must retain enriched uranium, then US patience might run out.

Although the threat of Israeli strikes should be taken seriously, the decision to partially evacuate the US embassy in Baghdad and permit the voluntary departure of other US government dependents in the region, could be a negotiating tactic. A way of upping the stakes.

Sources I’ve spoken to around the region are calm, for now.

But for Israel, the window to act could be closing. Its strikes on the Iran in October 2024 reportedly eliminated much of the country’s air defences. The more time that passes the more opportunity Iran has to rebuild, and that will be in the mind of Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli commanders as their weigh their options.

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Israel considering military action against Iran in days without US support – reports

Published

5 hours ago

June 12, 2025

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Israel considering military action against Iran in days without US support - reports

Israel is considering taking military action against Iran in the coming days – without American support, sources have told US media.

The reports come as US President Donald Trump is said to be in advanced discussions with Iran about a diplomatic deal to curtail the Middle Eastern country’s nuclear programme.

Israel is said to have become more serious about a unilateral strike on Iran as the negotiations between Washington and Tehran appear closer to a preliminary or framework agreement that includes provisions about uranium enrichment.

Israel views those provisions as unacceptable.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is therefore considering a strike on Iran, a Capitol Hill aide and other sources familiar with the matter have told Sky News’ US partner network NBC News.

An Israeli strike on Iran would be a dramatic break with the Trump administration which has argued against such a move.

The prospect of a new front in the conflict in the Middle East has prompted the Trump administration to order all embassies within striking distance of Iranian missiles, aircraft and other assets, to send cables with assessments about the potential threat to Americans and US infrastructure, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

The White House has not yet briefed senior politicians on the situation, according to a US official.

The reports have emerged after the US State Department said it had ordered the evacuation of all non-essential personnel from its embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, due to the potential for regional unrest.

It did not mention any possible attack by Israel on Iran when it announced the move.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said: “The State Department regularly reviews American personnel abroad, and this decision was made as a result of a recent review.”

It comes as the US is also authorising the departure of non-essential personnel and family members from Bahrain and Kuwait – giving the staff a choice as to whether to leave those countries.

An Iraqi government source told the country’s state news agency that Baghdad has not recorded any security indication that calls for the evacuation.

There was already limited staffing in the US embassy in Baghdad and the order will not affect a large number of personnel.

Meanwhile, the military dependents in Bahrain and Kuwait will have the option of leaving those countries at government expense and with government assistance.

Asked why the US personnel are being moved out of the Middle East, Mr Trump said on Wednesday evening: “They are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place and we’ll see what happens.”

When asked if there is anything that can be done to reduce tensions in the region, the US president said: “They can’t have a nuclear weapon, very simple, they can’t have a nuclear weapon, we’re not going to allow that.”

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is set to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in the Oman capital Muscat on Sunday to discuss the Iranian response to a recent US proposal, according to American news site Axios, which cited a US official.

The US and Iran have been engaged in talks aimed at limiting Tehran’s nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of some of the crushing economic sanctions America has imposed on the country.

Iran insists its nuclear programme is peaceful.

Tehran and Washington tensions

Mr Trump, who has previously said Israel or America could carry out airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities if negotiations failed, has given a less-than-optimistic view about reaching a deal with Iran.

He told the New York Post’s “Pod Force One” podcast that he was “getting more and more less confident about” a deal.

“They seem to be delaying, and I think that’s a shame. I’m less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago. Something happened to them,” he said in the interview released on Wednesday.

Iran’s mission to the UN posted on the X social media platform that “threats of ‘overwhelming force’ won’t change facts”.

“Iran is not seeking a nuclear weapon, and US militarism only fuels instability,” the Iranian mission wrote on Wednesday.

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Controversial aid distributer claims Hamas has carried out deadly attack on bus carrying Palestinians

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8 hours ago

June 12, 2025

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Controversial aid distributer claims Hamas has carried out deadly attack on bus carrying Palestinians

The controversial US and Israeli-backed aid distributor in Gaza has accused Hamas of a deadly attack on a bus carrying Palestinians working with the organisation.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has said at least five aid workers were killed and it fears some team members “may have been taken hostage”.

The aid organisation also said multiple people were injured in the alleged attack.

In a statement, the GHF has said the bus was carrying more than two dozen people working with the organisation when it was targeted at 10pm Gaza time (8pm UK time) on Wednesday.

The GHF said those in the bus were “local Palestinians” working with the organisation to “deliver critical aid”.

“At the time of the attack, our team was en route to one of our distribution centres in the area west of Khan Younis”, the GHF added.

It continued in its statement: “We are still gathering facts, but what we know is devastating: there are at least five fatalities, multiple injuries, and fear that some of our team members may have been taken hostage.

“We condemn this heinous and deliberate attack in the strongest possible terms. These were aid workers.”

The GHF also said in its statement that Hamas has in recent days been threatening members of the organisation, including aid workers, and civilians who have been receiving the aid.

The organisation said it holds Hamas fully responsible for “taking the lives of our dedicated workers who have been distributing humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people at the foundation’s sites in central and southern Gaza”.

“Tonight, the world must see this for what it is: an attack on humanity. We call on the international community to immediately condemn Hamas for this unprovoked attack and continued threat against our people simply trying to feed the Palestinian people,” the GHF said.

“We will release additional information once it becomes available. Despite this heinous attack, we will continue our mission to provide critical aid to the people of Gaza.”

The alleged attack came hours after health officials in Gaza said at least 25 Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire at a GHF site close to the former settlement of Netzarim, near Gaza City.

Medical officials at Shifa and al Quds hospitals say the people were killed as they approached the site.

Gaza’s health ministry said earlier this week that around 160 people have been killed in shootings near aid sites run by the GHF since they began distributing aid on 26 May.

However, the GHF has said there has been no violence in or around the distribution centres themselves.

Why is the aid system controversial?

Israel and the US have said the GHF system is aimed at preventing Hamas from siphoning off assistance.

Israel has not provided any evidence of systematic diversion, and the UN denies it has occurred.

The foundation’s distribution of aid has been marred by chaos, and multiple witnesses have said Israeli troops fired on crowds near the delivery sites.

UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to work with the new system, saying it violates humanitarian principles because it allows Israel to control who receives aid and forces people to relocate to distribution sites, risking yet more mass displacement in the territory.

Jake Wood, a former US marine, resigned as head of the GHF in May before it began distributing aid in Gaza over concerns about is independence.

Mr Wood said the foundation cannot adhere to the “humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon”.