Dozens of countries allied with Ukraine will meet on Friday to coordinate arms supplies to Kyiv, which has stepped up requests for tanks.
Germany is under increasing pressure to allow the export of its highly regarded Leopard tanks to Ukraine.
The crisis talks come a day after the United States and several European countries pledged more equipment to help Ukraine fend off further Russian aggression.
Britain also recently offered 14 of its main battle tanks – but Kyiv wants more.
Ukraine’s allies faced a “simple choice” on Friday, an adviser to the defense minister commented ahead of the summit.
“Tanks for Ukraine are tanks for freedom,” Yuri Sak told JEE News. He warned that if they were not sent, other countries would one day “have to use them themselves” against Moscow.
A meeting of more than 50 countries is going to be held at the American Ramstein Air Base, located in the southwest of Germany.
German Chancellor Olaf Schulz is under increasing pressure to donate Leopard 2 tanks, following Britain’s recent donation of 14 of its Challenger battle tanks.
As a manufacturing country, Germany must also give its permission before other countries commit to sending their own supplies of leopards.
Poland’s prime minister said he was “moderately pessimistic” about getting Berlin’s blessing – although a Lithuanian minister told JEE News that “few countries” would send leopards.
Late on Thursday, Germany said its position would be clarified in the next few hours or tomorrow morning.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy repeatedly hit out at Berlin’s perceived reluctance, saying on Thursday he was still “waiting for a decision from a European capital”.
He also hopes to acquire a large number of US-made Abrams tanks, and addressed reports that the US and Germany were planning to produce the vehicles only if the other nation did so.
“I don’t think it’s the right strategy to go with,” Mr. Zielinski commented, calling for “strong decisions” to be made during Friday’s conference call.
Retired U.S. Army General David Petraeus suggested that there was “legitimate reluctance” on the part of Washington, the result of concern over the maintenance of these vehicles.
He told JEE News that it was “imperative” that the donation of any Western tanks “be done quickly enough, so that [Ukrainian troops] can actually train them”.
For its part, Russia has warned the West that supplying its enemy with tanks would lead to a “very dangerous” escalation of the conflict.
On Thursday, Western countries pledged to send more vehicles, artillery and military equipment to bolster Ukraine’s war effort.
The US pledged a new package of $2.5bn (£2bn), saying it took its spending on Ukrainian support to $26.7bn since Russia’s full-scale invasion last February.
Tanks were not included in the offer, but the Pentagon promised an additional 59 Bradley armored vehicles, 90 Stryker personnel carriers and the Avenger air defense system, among other conditions.
The announcement came as nine European countries pledged more support from their side after a meeting in Estonia. This includes:
- UK – 600 Brimstone missiles
- Denmark – 19 French-made Caesar self-propelled howitzers
- Estonia – howitzers, ammunition, support vehicles and anti-tank grenade launchers
- Latvia – Stinger air-defence systems, two helicopters, and drones
- Lithuania – anti-aircraft guns and two helicopters
- Poland – S-60 anti-aircraft guns with 70,000 pieces of ammunition
- Czech Republic – produce further large calibre ammunition, howitzers and APCs
- Netherlands – support expected to be detailed on Friday
