Good evening. After days of mounting international pressure on Berlin, Germany has finally approved the delivery of Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine. Washington has also confirmed it will send 31 Abrams tanks. But what next? Despite U-turning on tanks, the German Chancellor remains insistent that no fighter jets will be delivered.
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The big story: How the Leopards will be unleashed
Barring any final twists in this particular act, it looks as if Ukraine’s leaders will finally have their dream of Western tanks realised. Germany will provide 14 Leopards as a first step and, after weeks of sustained international pressure, give European allies permission to export their German-made tanks in a Western coalition supplying and maintaining them. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has confirmed that the US will also provide 31 Abrams tanks.
On Wednesday morning, Norway, the Netherlands and Spain said they were poised to join Poland, Finland and Portugal in committing Leopard IIs from their armies. Denmark and Sweden are also considering sending tanks. But can the Ukrainians use them? Tanks cannot take enemy positions and hold ground on their own, writes Dominic Nicholls.
For that, battlefield commanders need other parts of the military orchestra to all be in tune. These include infantry, engineer assets, as well as artillery to cover the flanks and depth targets. The whole performance also needs an umbrella of air defence to stop Russian jets and helicopters interfering - find out what more is required to use the Leopards successfully here.
For now, Ukrainian troops and civilians will have to rely on their ability to be adept at battlefield innovation. However, they will need to do even more patching up on a systemic industrial scale to meet this challenge.
Time will be an important factor. Getting tanks and other armoured equipment into the country and even to the front line is likely to be measured in weeks for the Leopards and Challengers, and perhaps months for the Abrams.
But that’s just the delivery service. Extra time, and locations outside the country, will be needed to train the crews and maintainers. If you want to find out more about why the Leopards are so important - this explainer piece has the answers to all your questions.
Scholz defends delay
Despite performing an apparent U-turn on sending in the Leopards, Olaf Scholz insisted he was “right” to delay sending the tanks to Ukraine. The German chancellor said the goal was to donate two battalions – about 80 tanks – to Kyiv in total, meeting a demand first raised by Ukraine soon after Russia’s invasion.
Addressing the German parliament, Mr Scholz vowed to never change his cautious approach if doing so meant risking war with Russia. He had refused to give the green light for the Leopards until Washington promised to send M1-Abrams tanks as well. The US pledged at least 30 Abrams on Tuesday, breaking a deadlock that risked damaging Germany’s standing with its allies.
'Tanks, but no jets'
As he announced Germany's decision to provide the tanks, Mr Scholz maintained, however, that no fighter jets will be delivered to Ukraine. He said Berlin wanted to avoid an escalation of the war so it "doesn't become a war between Russia and Nato".
However, Greg Bagwell, a retired Air Marshal and combat pilot who was the UK’s Air Commander for 4 years, argues that to win the war, Ukraine needs F-16 jets.
He writes that the addition of the F-16 in significant numbers would not only protect the Ukrainian Army and people on the ground now, but also be the tip of the spear when holding the ensuing peace later - read his full piece here.
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Prince Andrew’s accuser has reportedly signed a book deal with a publisher, a year after settling a sex abuse lawsuit with the Duke of York. Virginia Giuffre, 39, has been working on a memoir detailing her abuse at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, the rights to which could sell for millions of dollars. Prince Andrew, 62, settled a civil case with Ms Giuffre last year, however he did not admit any wrongdoing as part of the settlement. It is understood part of the deal struck was a one-year gag clause that prevented Ms Giuffre from publicly repeating the allegations against the Duke - that clause expires next month.
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Business news: Amazon workers strike in Coventry
Amazon workers have staged their first official UK strike action, walking out of the online retail giant's Coventry warehouse in protest against a 50p pay rise amid claims staff are "treated like robots". Around 300 Amazon workers were expected to down tools and join picket lines. The strike action began at Amazon's Coventry centre at midnight on Tuesday. Matthew Field writes that the GMB union called for a walk-out after balloting members in December. The union is demanding an increase in pay from £10 to £15 per hour.
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