Russia and its President Vladimir Putin are a very proud people. They like to act as if they believe they are not only an unconquerable country but like they are winning their conflict in Ukraine. They are barely holding on and, instead, welcoming more damage to their own country as a result of their failed efforts.
The speaker of the lower house of Russia’s parliament took January 22nd to issue a stark warning to Western countries who are looking to help the Ukrainian mission to fight back the Russians. With pledges of armored vehicles and air defense systems, and now discussions of them being sent German-made tanks, Russian authorities are starting to see how it is quite literally becoming them against the world.
State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin spoke about the “global tragedy that would destroy their countries,” for countries that looked to help arm Ukraine.
“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.”
While Germany has been a main donator of equipment to Ukraine, they are making a calculated decision any time they provide Ukraine with assets. Ordering reviews of Leopard 2 inventories to possibly provide the requested tanks, their hesitance seems steeped in history as well as political culture.
In contrast, before the latest Russian claims French President Emmanuel Macron said they are not against sending their Leclerc battle tanks to support the Ukrainian war effort. Going on to claim he has directed their defense minister to look into this idea, it may not be long before French assets are being used on the front lines.
Hesitation to send German assets to the fight has many eastern European nations concerned. Poland and the Baltic states are incredibly concerned as they face some of the biggest threats from Russian aggression going forward.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki spoke with Polish state news agency PAP ahead of a piece also published on January 22nd. “Almost a year had passed since the outbreak of war. Evidence of the Russian army’s war crimes can be seen on television and on YouTube. What more does Germany need to open its eyes and start to act in line with the potential of the German state?”
Leaders in the US are looking into rumblings that they are the basis of the German hesitation. With allegations that sending one Abrams tank to Ukraine could help open the floodgates for help from German, French, and other assets, then we have little to lose as a nation by sending yet another piece of equipment their way.
Both Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee both making separate statements about the US holding things up, it might be time to step up. Bipartisan agreement about helping out another nation is not something we see too much off, this sign cannot be overlooked.
As a nation, we have already been giving Ukraine many of its tools to put the Russians on the ropes. We showed them how to use intelligent defense to back them up, and have provided them the combinations of training and assets to get on the offensive. With Russia now against the ropes, they are starting to cry out and protest like a cornered dog.
Keeping them on the ropes and delivering the knockout punches is exactly what Ukraine needs to do. If that takes help from the US, so be it. Helping them to eliminate the Russian threat only serves to make us stronger as a nation and can help serve to prove to the world just how bad the amount of manipulation the Russians have been putting into the world is.
