I'm hearing that the real German reluctance is that the German defense establishment is concerned that it would expose the fact that their expensive weapon systems have a low rate of readiness . Poland is more than willing to dump their arsenal on the Ukrainians but only if the US replaces them with M1A1 Abrams .
This is a poker game where the players are using everyone else's cards . It is the western nations virtue signaling that they are more committed to the defense of democracy than their neighbor. The Brits will contribute a whole 14 Challenger II from their arsenal.
What value are they to Ukraine ? Almost none. They use a lot of fuel that Ukraine does not have. They take extensive training . They need a lot of logistical support on the battlefield .
Let's say some Ukraine soldiers could be trained to operate them ..... who is going to do repairs in the battlefield ? Are we sending contractors to service the tanks ? And we are not talking one model of tanks .We are talking 3 ;a hodgepodge collection that is supposed to be forged into a joint operation force on the fly.
The reason the Ukrainians have had a degree of success to date against old Soviet era Russian tanks is that the battlefield has favored defensive operations . As previously mentioned ;the tank does not stand up well against precision guided anti-tank weapons and drones .
So the Ukrainians get these new expensive toys from the West ;rushes them to the field with barely trained troops operating them against a dug in Russian force who are armed with their own anti-tank weapons(Kornet) ,
Russia Using Its Kornet Anti-Tank Missiles on Battlefields in Ukraine (businessinsider.com)
The Ukrainian tank units will be extremely vulnerable .
The longer this war drags on the more the reality plays out . Russia is bigger ;has strategic depth ;has food and energy production . It has not come close to full mobilization ,
Contrast that with Ukraine. They are sacrificing a generation ;their cities ;their infrastructure . Ukraine cannot win this war militarily . It would take massive NATO intervention including NATO armed forces to change that reality .
So when do the 2 sides get to the negotiation table ? Zelensky ;bolstered by western war party promises , speaks in terms of total victory .
Why haven't they had peace talks ? Because Zelensky knows that the second this war comes to a conclusion ;win or lose ,is the time he is out of a job.
He will be held to account. There is a ton of money flowing into Ukraine . How much of it has been used on the battlefield ;and how much has been pocket lined ?
Volodymyr Zelensky dismisses several ministers in crackdown on war-time graft (telegraph.co.uk)
The most prominent head to roll was that of Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of Mr Zelensky’s presidential office, who said on Tuesday morning that he had tendered his resignation but did not give a reason.
A charismatic and prominent member of Mr Zelensky’s team, he has built up a considerable social media following since the war began and had been responsible for rebuilding infrastructure destroyed in Russia’s winter bombing campaign.
But he had faced allegations of misusing foreign aid, after a Ukrainian media outlet reported in October that he was driving a new Chevrolet Tahoe SUV that had been donated by General Motors for use in humanitarian evacuations......................
Viacheslav Shapovalov, a deputy defence minister also left, days after Ukrainian media published a procurement contract showing his office was
paying two to three times market price for basic foods for the army.
His government is one in disrepair. As more examples of this come forward will Europe continue to give it's support ? .....Will America given Quid Pro Joe's domestic distractions ?
Zelensky ran for office on an anti-corruption platform . His government is proving to be as corrupt as the former. Will a few heads rolling make a difference ?