but to jen starting back, coming up very, very much on germany's contribution to ukraine in repelling the russian invasion. tell us what you installed in burg had to say of significance. well, in the one hand stressing germany's commitment to ukraine, which is by the way, something that german officials in particular german chancellor upshaw's have stressed repeatedly. the fact that germany hasn't made a decision on the leper 2 times does not mean that germany hasn't contributed elsewhere. and in fact, mister stoughton book clearly said that germany is one of the countries that has contributed the most to ukraine politically, militarily, economically. and also when it comes to humanitarian age, that is something that is obviously important coming from nato secretary general at the same time his stress that the issue of the leopard 2 times, which is the most controversial issue at the moment, was discussed. and he specifically mentioned that at this stage in the war, ukraine needs heavier military assistance. so at this point to the fact that this issue of the leopard to battle tanks i

ukraine. it's important what you point in your question that germany has indeed helped ukraine a lot. that's something that we often hear from german officials when they point to germany's assistance to ukraine. stressing also that that assistance will continue, however, that big change is not a change that simply happens overnight. germany will not change its long standing position just in one day or in a few weeks. and that's why you see german officials doubting and debating whether to allow those deliveries of especially these heavy tanks to, to ukraine. i do think it's likely that germany will end up giving that approval. but i do understand that there is something that is happening after germany does debate very carefully the pros and cons very carefully. how many tanks they have, how many tanks are elsewhere, what the state of those chances and so on. german leaders do not want to make any quick decisions, despite the fact that allies would like that to be different. is the german government not concerned that it's credibility is being damaged through this debate tom, you have o

, ., , , . ., ukraine? germany must decide to allow leopard _ ukraine? raine? germany must decide to allow leopard ii tanks to - ukraine? germany must decide to allow leopard ii tanks to go - ukraine? germany must decide to allow leopard ii tanks to go to - allow leopard ii tanks to go to ukraine. at the very least, they must take the embargo off of other countries that have bought leopard ii tanks from them to let these countries like poland send tanks to ukraine. but even more importantly, i believe germany itself must come off the fence and must actually realise that this is a critical moment in european security, and the security of —— future of security in europe, and they have a key role to play. they can unlock this problem if they agreed to allow their leopard ii tanks and other countries's leopard ii tanks to get involved. because let's face it, the positions of russia and ukraine, as far as negotiations are concerned, are irreconcilable. sadly we have to believe that this war will be concluded on the battlefield, and to do that in ukraine's batt

officials within the german parliament, within the german public, as to whether germany should be delivering those heavy weapons to ukraine. so that is one element. the other element that we clearly saw last week and discussions between germany and its allies, is the fact that germany would like to avoid unilateral decisions. germany would like to have decisions based on common ground with all of its partners. it would like to really understand what pros and cons there are to that delivery. and that is something that might take longer than what some partners and in particular ukraine would want. so that is why germany has been taking some time when it comes to these decisions for german government officials. that is good. they've been taking that time for germany's critics that reluctance. that reticence is actually a big problem for germany's international standing. talk to us more about those critics. how is germany's reluctance to deliver tanks or allow others to deliver them affecting germany standing among its allies? while it is absolutely affecting germany, standing among its allies, german allies have been very cr

ukraine. the decision marx, a coordinated move with germany and other european allies, to equip ukraine with modern tanks ahead of a potential offensive this spring, abide and also promised logistical support and training for ukrainian soldiers in operating the tanks. here is the u. s. president, speaking just a few hours ago to day, i'm announcing that united states will be sending you 31 abrams tanks to ukraine. the equivalent of one ukrainian battalion secretary austin has recommended to step because on hand ukraine's capacity and finished her turn achieve strategic objectives. i'm grateful her chancellor schultz for providing german leopard to tax and will lead an effort to organize a european contribution to tank battalions for ukraine. i want to thank the chancellor for his leadership and steadfast commitment to our collective efforts to support ukraine. germany has really stepped up. yeah. crazed there for germany and the german chancellor. he debbie's in his polish, he's covering this force in washington. earlier i asked her how much of a role german cancer oh schultz played in biden's deci

tanks for ukraine are not a threat to rush the move by whington follows the decision by germany not to stop its leopard tech speak -- leopard tanks to back the efforts to seal prudence invasion. zelenskyy says this keeps ukraine on the path to victory. take into the streets in beirut in protest as a row breaks out over the reopening of the investigation into the 2020 port explosion. the public prosecutor orders all -- to be freed and issues charges against the investigating judge. -53 degrees celsius. a cold snap across asia has brought a record low temperature to the north of china. the area along the chinese russian mongolian border is now in an almost arctic landscape. this is live from paris. ♪ thank you very much for being with us. joe biden has confirmed american tanks are to be sent to ukraine. the u.s. president was the first to break the news on wednesday. it follows the change of heart from germany over the supply of its leopard battle tanks. ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy thanked the german chancellor by phone and said he was sincerely grateful to the chancellor and

we are going help ukraine, germany also announced today it is going to provide ukrainians a -- to deal with air attacks patriot air defense system. we are going to provide ad additional air defense battery. >> tucker: this is crazy. there is actually a reason for it. people are getting very rich from this. that is why washington supports it. very soon were going to give you a case study who is getting rich. some of the people promoting this war killing endless number of ukrainians and you should know this. sending so much military equipment to szelensky and his wife. if the conflict goes on another six months or year, continues to stress supply chain in ways that are challenging. you can either defend ukraine's borders or united states of america. which is it? most are choosing ukraine. in the house, thomas massy in kentucky is one of them. >> we have spent more in ukraine, u.s. congress than we have spent more on roads and bridges in the entire country. we don't spend as much on that as we have in ukraine in nine months. i think that is despicable. priorities out of whack. we are tryi

no doubt the most pressing issue, whether germany should provide battle tanks to ukraine. the pressure on germany is clearly growing benjamin both from outside the country and were then where did the talk stand between washington and berlin at the moment? definitely, and that's one of the biggest topics. it's a dilemma between both countries between germany and that you as the german chancellor has been dodging the questions on sending tanks. he did the same also yesterday the world can nomic for us in a divorce. and what germany is saying according to a german media now, is that germany would send a, these lepper tongues to ukraine. but with the condition that the u. s. does the same with they abram tank so they will be something that they will definitely discuss. that's a dilemma because the gas is not signaled yet that they will st battle tanks to ukraine. although some european countries have said already that germany and that europe should step up, their weapon, exports it to ukraine. but to see how big this difference is, we will actually get to know that better to mo

proposal has already started to be made memes where the ministers of ukraine and germanyther in leopard jackets, i see that the correspondent caught this trend tsn in berlin nataliya fibrik live with us natalochka congratulations, can poland at least provide tanks to ukraine or does germany still need permission for this? greetings hello , really leopard print is very timely now the decision to transfer leopard tanks to ukraine has not yet been made in berlin, the german government is talking about it, and in order for poland to be able to transfer these tanks to ukraine, germany's permission is needed, since it is germany that manufactures these weapons, and for their re-export, the manufacturer's country needs permission to grant this permission to poland in germany, so far however, it is not excluded that the situation may change in the future. now we live with such challenges and with the war in europe that we constantly have to adapt to the actual situation until now. we did so. we supported ukraine with various artillery systems. and when attacks on the infrastructu

germany approved. other countries like poland sending their own lepper tanks to ukraine. in both cases, germany would have to give its approval. in both cases, there has been a pressure from germany's allies for germany to exactly do that. and what this is actually happening and that reluctance or reticence from german authorities. what that is causing is a lot of criticism towards the government here in berlin and in particular towards german chancellor all afterwards, who is seen by some of his critics as a rather reticent leader at a time when he should actually be leading when he should actually be at the forefront of discussions when it comes to sending that military equipment to ukraine. so the 1st political implication would be even more criticism towards berlin, if berlin indeed to seek decides to stop, or at least to slow down other countries from sending those tanks to ukraine. so a lot of international pressure on germany regarding these deliveries of weapons. but what about the domestic scene? does the german government have public opinion on its side regarding

although many countries have already pledged more military support, happy weapons for ukraine. germany has kept their mouth shut until now, so we don't know what has come out of last minute. me thinks it's been called a game changer. this leopard 2 battle tank made by germany, ukraine's has had really needs it possibly for a next major offensive. so it's very crucial, and that may be also the reason that germany under the leadership of chancellor, all of shawls has been hesitant to send them for month already a he says that it could actually escalate the war. he is worried about that he has mentioned in his concerns many times. and he also is really worried that this could lead to a direct confrontation between nato and so also germany and, and russia. and also his internal pressure from his party. the sbc at his social democrats who have been historically in the last decades, very hesitant to be involved in any military conflict since the 2nd world war. and i also really don't like the visuals of having german thanks again and, and confrontation with russia. also interesting, there's

germany. i failed to reach agreement on sending german made bottle tanks to ukraine. he was optimistic that berlin would give approval for its powerful lip at 2 tongues to be delivered to the battlefield. but germany's defense minister said his country was still way and that session that sparked protest and berlin and please from other countries to provide the weaponry. the question of whether germany will send tanks to ukraine took sent to state at ramstein abbeys. but instead of giving the green light, germany's new defense minister just said that it is up to the chancellor to make that coal. but if on a nigger, even in china, in the event of a negative decision, nothing needs to be done again by son. but in the event of a positive decision, we have to move quickly because it is then a matter of training, checking the leopard tanks and the like, my them all, that's what this morning i ordered my ministry to examined the stalks of the different types of leopard tanks, both in our own forces and in the industry in an agony slide. clifton, i, it's all good by the end of

chancellor for his leadership and steadfast commitment to our collective efforts to support ukraine. germany has really stepped up in the chancellor has been a strong voice for unity and a close friend and i think we're going to continue. supporting ukraine's ability to fight off russian aggression to defend its sovereignty and enter -- territorial integrity is a worldwide commitment. last week germany secretary austen convened ukraine defense contract group for the eighth time, this group is made up of some 50 nations each making significant contributions of their own to ukraine's integrity. each fully committed to making it ukraine remain strong and independent and able to defend itself against russian threats and violence. i want to thank every member of the coalition for continuing to step up. the u.k. recently announced it is donating challenger to tanks to ukraine, france is contributing armored fighting vehicles in addition to the leopard tanks that germany like the united states is also sending. -- donating patriot missiles and launchers. the u.k., slovakia, norway and others have al

biden has announced his country will send 31 of its m one abrams tanks to ukraine, a decision marx, a coordinated move with germany and other european allies, to equip ukraine with modern battle tanks ahead of a potential russian offensive this spring. now bite and also promised logistical support and training for ukrainian soldiers in operating the complex tanks. here is the u. s. president. speaking a short while ago to day, i'm announcing that the united states will be sending 31 abrams tanks to ukraine. the equivalent of one ukrainian battalion, secretary austin as recommended to step because on hands, new cranes capacity to defend his territory and achieve their strategic objectives . were also closely coordinated this announcement with our allies. i'm grateful a chance for shoals, for providing german leopard to tax, and will lead an effort to organize a european contribution to tank battalions for ukraine. i want to thank the chance for, for his leadership and his steadfast commitment to our collective efforts to support ukraine. germany has really stepped up straight to washington than in our bureau chief

thanks for being with us. germany is facing growing pressure to supply ukraine with its leopard tanks and to allow other nations to do the same. germany's new defense minister born historian just met with nato chief in stoughton back here in berlin to discuss the issue. the story is said, the decision was still to be made on whether german made tax in countries like poland can be react forwarded to ukraine. poland however says it's planning to san tanks with or without consent. the german government hesitation is frustrating its allies, as ukraine continues to face a russian defense. the w chief political correspondent nina has attended that press conference. so nina, we didn't hear any decision on german tanks there in else this morning, but quite a few other details were given. what did you make of that joint press gunners? well, of course, there was a lot of interest by the media. lots of colleagues present here because of course, that is such a contentious issue. gemini, has come very much under criticism. the chancellor has been accused of dragging his feet or of being hesitant t

to tell you that public opinion here in germany, it's divided over cindy takes to ukraine. how did chancellor shot, how did he sell that his decision today to parliament in public? well, we've seen an intense debate. haven't weigh brent hair and germany over the last couple of days and weeks. and that is sometimes forgotten when you look at what's international partners are writing in the media. you know, they, they almost represent germany as a united country saying germany doesn't want to deliver tanks. that is not true. the opinion is very much split in half. and there was a narrow majority in favor of sending left 2 tanks to ukraine just before this decision. but also majority of people said they didn't want these tanks to be used to reclaim territory, to launch an offensive or a counter offensive if you will, in, in, in ukraine. and that is something that will have. so it's very much picked up in his speech today. that feeling that the public is divided, he really started his speech by saying, okay, we need to remember who's to blame for those who is to blame, is lottie

germany will provide a spring aid package to ukraine worth more than 1 billion euros. germany's military aid will exceed 3 billion 300 million euros, we talked about the possible supply of leopard tanks, we share my views, there are good reasons for the supply of leopard tanks, there are good reasons against, we must listen to all for and against, all allies share this opinion, today we cannot say what the decision on tanks will look like i'm a leopard, actually we don't hesitate, we are very careful about the pros and cons we are not talking about delivering something to someone this is a new type of event and we must be careful, we must take into account the possible the consequences of this conflict, that is, the german minister says that the country does not hesitate, but does not provide tanks to ukraine, when at the beginning of the russian invasion, germany made a key decision to supply ukraine with weapons, a turning point, as chancellor scholz spoke about it, it is not turning enough; several reasons why germany or rather its chancellor olaf shaw took such a ca

in germany itself, regarding aid to ukraine, do you remember back then germany gave the answers of theons, and they already gave, accordingly, the air defense systems, and the question remained formally legally, only with the leopards , but even then it became clear that such a visit was not taking place against the background of whether germany will continue to refuse the supply of the possibility of supplying the same leopards , that is, in principle, it seems to me that this decision is confirmed by the same lublin trick and the decision regarding poland or the transfer of these tanks, that is, now all factors lead to the fact that the final decision is from germany and from this coalition will be accepted exactly at the next rammstein we are waiting for oleksiy on january 20 thank you oleksiy berychenko political scientist was with us live poland's decision to provide ukraine with leopard-2 tanks is extremely important as both from a military and political point of view , main battle tanks are the main component of offensive actions on the battlefield without these weapons, large-s

dozen serrated tanks partners will be german leopards about the transfer of these machines to ukraine germany officially announced on january 25, at the same time, it also agreed to the re-export of tanks from other countries, ukraine asked for the transfer of modern western combat vehicles from the very beginning of the russian invasion , why did they agree, what is the advantage of leopards , because the ukrainian army needs them olena kurynkova sorted out i am calling on western leaders to provide tanks to ukraine, delaying is immoral because every day is too expensive for ukraine, in recent weeks they have called on the german government to finally make a decision on the supply of tantum to ukraine, we will provide ukraine with tanks of the leopard-2 type, this is the result of intense negotiations with our international partners ukraine asked about western-style tanks from partners since the very first days of a full-scale invasion, british challengers, german leopards and american abrams could help the ukrainians to protect their territory, but they are extremely needed. now as an iron

ukraine. it marks a coordinated move with germany and other european allies to provide ukraine with modern battle tanks ahead of a potential offense of this spring. biden promised logistical support and also training for ukrainian soldiers in, in operating those tanks. his him speaking earlier to day, i'm announcing that the united states will be sending 31 abrams tanks to ukraine, the equivalent of one ukrainian battalion secretary austin as recommended to step because on hands, new friends of capacity and finished her turn achieve their strategic objectives. i'm grateful of chancellor shoals for providing german leopard to tax and will lead an effort to organize a european contribution and to tank battalions for ukraine. i want to thank the chance for, for his leadership in steadfast commitment to our collective evers, to support ukraine. germany has really stepped up of the full biden's announcement. gemini gave the go head for its leopards, 2 tanks to be sent to ukraine. if those are approving requests from other european countries to do the same. initially, germany will send 14 tanks and pro

ukraine. and this victory will be also in the interests of germany. diplomacy with berlin. it's a blunt question. do you think ukraine has a germany problem right now, in a wider sense, notjust about tanks? but you have a germany problem, because chancellor scholz, defence minister pistorius and others, particularly in the spd part of the government, they have close, long ties with russia. they have established friendships in russia. and that may be a problem for ukraine. compared to germany we had to deal with prior to 2a february 2022, no, we do not have a problem with germany now. and when you see that the new defence minister, appointed by chancellor scholz, opposed some of the sanctions on russia as recently as 2018 because he said they simply weren't working — and that, of course, is long after the invasion of crimea and parts of eastern ukraine — you still think that you have friends in berlin, do you? that brings me back to my previous answer. i know germany we had to work with before the large scale invasion, germany that was not willing to pr

we start with some breaking news, germany, and the say they are prepared to send the armored vehicles to ukraine. berlin will send martyr infantry finding vehicles and a patriot missile system to help you crane in its defense against russia invasion. the us is sending bradley fighting vehicles. germany has been under mounting pressure to deliver battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles long sought by keep, especially after france agreed to supply light tanks to ukraine yesterday and dw correspondence, catherine lank has has more on this. catherine, germany has long been reluctant to provide. 5 armored vehicles to ukraine. why the change of heart now? germany, his long said it doesn't want a single move, no unilateral decision when it comes to delivering heavy weapons to ukraine. so it asked for closed coordination with all nato partners and saying that it simply also feared some potential provocation of russia. if western meet battled tanks are sent to ukraine are sent to the fight in ukraine. and germany is also always been saying, we are already a very strong supporter of your current in th

so, ukraine and tanks are connected states and germany, let's start with germany, the german government announced the decision to sell leopard 2 to ukraine, chancellor scholz announced about this morning at the government meeting, in addition, he announced that training for the ukrainian military will soon begin, germany also allowed ukraine to transfer these tanks to other countries , according to the german chancellor, the transfer was on the 14th of leopards from the reserves of the bundeswehr, the bundeswehr is only the first step , he added that the goal is the rapid creation of two battalions in ukraine armed with these leopard 2 tanks. to the minister of defense of germany that the country can provide kyiv with the first leopard-2 battle tanks in about three months, so it is right that we, in cooperation with international partners, will support ukraine financially, including with funds for humanitarian aid needs, as well as the supply of weapons , took such a step, violating the traditional approaches of germany among the countries of europe. our country does this with great ene

and the saga continues with western tanks for ukraine. germany still refuses to provide its vehicles. however, as the head of the foreign ministry, sberbank, yes, agreed to the transfer of leopards by a third party , berlin's indecision can be understood in the bundessphere. only a little more than 200 leopard tanks are on the move, even if you go to ukraine a few dozen. this would mean a significant reduction in the combat capability of the german army, however. she is the government of germany choking on all sides, especially poles and americans. ukraine also get the fastest supplies. since the situation on the fronts is unfavorable for kiev. in the cities of the country, mass raids are carried out. the broom of mobilization sweeps without pity for almost all men. such scenes, for example, were observed the day before in odessa . this photo was taken of men dressing in women's dresses in order to go to the store without risking ending up in the river. a multibillion-dollar injection does not guarantee ukraine military or political success, and

germany has announced it plans to send at least 14 leopard 2 tanks to ukraine after months of pleas from kyiv. germany also said it would soon allow other european countries to send their own leopard tanks. the u.s. is also expected to announce today it will deliver abrams tanks to ukraine, though that process could take months. the heavy tanks could provto be a major turning point in ukraine's fight against russia, which is approaching its one year mark next month. moscow has warned such a move would be seen as a direct provocation. we will have more on this story after the headlines. in other news from ukraine, the government of president volodymyr zelenskyy has fired a number of top officials as part of a growing corruption scandal, which includes reports that the military paid inflated food prices. turkey has postponed scheduled talks on sweden and finland's bids to join nato amid mounting tensions with sweden after it allowed a far-right politician to burn a quran during a protest in front of the turkish embassy in stockholm. finland has said it would consider joining nato without s

ukraine. the decision marking a coordinated move biden says, with germany and other european allies to equip ukraine with modern battle tanks ahead of a potential offensive from russia. this spring now bye, and also promised logistical support and training for ukrainian soldiers in operating the tanks. if the u. s. president, speaking just a short while ago today, i'm announcing that united states will be sending 31 abram tanks to ukraine. the equivalent of one ukrainian battalion secretary austin has recommended this step. because on hands, the ukraine's capacity finished her turn achieve strategic objectives. i'm grateful a chance for shops for providing german leopard to tax and will lead an effort to organize the european contribution to tank battalions for ukraine. i want to thank the chance for his leadership and steadfast commitment to our collective efforts to support ukraine. germany. i want to go now to washington dc. our bureau champion exposure has been following the story from that side of the atlantic and e v g u e t s. so we just heard there from biden high praise for the german chanc

also coming up mixed signals on supplying german made tags to ukraine. germany's foreign minister says berlin won't stand in the way of poland cents. it's leopard. do tanks to the front line. but chancellor sholpes has not given his approval. ah hello, i'm terry marsha. good to have you with us police in the usa, the suspect and a mass shooting near los angeles has been found dead from a self inflicted gunshot wound. he's thought to have killed at least 10 people and wounded 10 others during the shooting out of a ballroom dance club where people were celebrating the chinese lunar new year. this is where the man hunt came to an end. security forces surrounded a white van in torrance, california, 45 kilometers from the side of the mass, shooting authority say the suspect had already shot himself before the swat team approached the vehicle. he was named as who can trans 72 years old police say he entered a 2nd club in a neighboring city but was disarmed by 2 citizens. the manhunt extended across the los angeles area when i got here and i saw, and i told you this morning, the look in the e

vehicles will probably be completed in the coming days, the epic continues with western tanks for ukraine germany still refuses to provide their cars, however, as stated by foreign minister burbak. yes, i agree to the transfer of leopards, a third party indecision in berlin can be understood in the bundessphere. on the move just over 200 leopard tanks. even if you send a few dozen to ukraine. this will mean a significant reduction in the combat capability of the german army, nevertheless, the german government is under pressure from all sides, the poles and americans are especially active. if you are not with us, then you are against us, why is european unity cracking, who does not share the aggressive policy of brussels and how are dissenters brought up? why are there more and more questions from residents to the government, and who has already lost high posts, let's go to different countries. you are listening to expert leaders and europeans themselves from those who are not afraid to speak in clear politics today after the panorama. california police have identified the man who opened fire on

the 20th next friday pentagon chief austin once again gathers colleagues from the ukraine support group here at germany based on rammstein following this event will become. it is clear whether russian soldiers will have to destroy german tanks in ukraine again in some more or less understandable perspective mikhail antonov anastasia borkovskaya denis lisitsyn andrey morning all day of the week, germany in general, the ukrainian authorities in relations with their allies have already crossed all borders. not only that, the west only hears from ukraine. give me money. give me a weapon. now ukraine points out, how else can americans or europeans think of such boorish without maintenance. the other day, dak benduu, a senior researcher at the cato institute, drew attention to an article for americans. kiev believes that ukraine uber alice, its leaders are very dissatisfied with the americans, who have the audacity to say that washington's policy should first of all reflect american interests, it is not enough that congress opened the doors of the treasury safes for kiev, and the pentagon its arsenals. now a

germany anabel, who was twice in ukraine during the war, said that germany will be after the tanks. alsotion . the german categorical no to the supply of tanks to ukraine, it turned into an affirmative under the pressure of our partners, and at the moment it is already saying something about the no to planes for ukraine, so will our partners be able to convince germany in the near future to unblock the supply of planes to ukraine and more long-range artillery i think that now we will come closer faster faster and they say this place was all the last meeting eh rammstein and there were no poor people that there are many shows around the world 11 eh countries eh well well, whatever, they really wanted to give more military support to ukraine, so then germany really looked like a strange person, who did not follow the european union, in general, germany wants to be one of the leaders for the european union and then germany cannot be opposed so that all the other countries want , well, let's say that there are two. ukraine, eh, germany is a country of its own, what i would like to have again

has also taken a record _ for ukraine. germanyholz i think not — ukraine. but chancellor scholz i think notjust the ukraine. but chancellor scholz i think not just the fear of russia, in terms — think not just the fear of russia, in terms of— think not just the fear of russia, in terms of escalation, i think he also _ in terms of escalation, i think he also wants— in terms of escalation, i think he also wants to make sure he can keep popular— also wants to make sure he can keep popular opinion positive in terms of supporting — popular opinion positive in terms of supporting ukraine, because really there _ supporting ukraine, because really there is— supporting ukraine, because really there is no— supporting ukraine, because really there is no timetable for winning this war— there is no timetable for winning this war is — there is no timetable for winning this war is going to and. the only timetable — the ukrainians are pressing as they need _ the ukrainians are pressing as they need the _ the ukrainians are pressing as they need t

talk with us about the decision itself to san tanks to ukraine and how it fits with germany's approach and helping ukraine so far. well of course these fits very much in this change of path am when it comes to germany's approach to delivering weapons to crisis regions. gemini, broke with a big taboo after russia launched its full scale invasion in february last year before that. and germany was not going to exports weapons to active crisis regions . now that a to be, was broken with. and then many people around the world wondered why germany was being so hesitant when it came to delivering air defense. but ultimately it will have show it's did approve at defense systems like the iris t system to be delivered to ukraine. then m, germany announced in january that it was going to also send ahmed fighting vehicles . so this is a slow process here and all i've shows kept stressing also in the speech today that he needs to have the german public on board because there is a lot of fear. there is a lot of the public opinion is extremely divided help for ukraine. yes, but we mustn't be dragged

ukraine. why the change of heart now? catherine: germanyas long said it does not want a single move, no unilateral decision when it comes to delivering heavy weapons to ukraine. to -- so it asked for close coordination with nato partners, and said it feared potential provocation of russia if western made battle tanks are sent to the fight in ukraine. germany has also always been saying we are already a very strong supporter of ukraine. they have sent howitzers, air defense systems and antiaircraft guns, but so far no battle tanks that were western made. until france had a change of heart and decided to send let battle tanks, which -- light battle tanks, which germany has now done as well. there was a call with olaf scholz and joe biden after which it was announced both countries would be sending heavy weapons likely marder -- like the marder to ukraine. nicole: what kind of equipment are we talking about here? catherine: so, one of the two weapons that are being discussed is the marder, and the marder, you have to imagine it is some sort of

but it was to be no commitment from germany that it would sent its lepper tanks to ukraine. we don't feel anything we are just do a responsibility boot for our population in germany and in europe. and we have to balance all the pros and cons for 40 res erie decide. things like that. just like there is nothing else. and i'm very sure that there will be a decision in the short term, but i don't know why, and i don't know. wow, how the decision will look? this lack of a concrete timeline is despite germany's nato allies and ukraine itself, pressuring heart for the thanks to be sent. i encourage you to make such decisions that can deprive rossi evil any power. you can start with this policy today. it is in your power to mega ramstein of tags not to bargain about different numbers of tasks, not to open at principal supply, that will stop russian evil. some fear that sandling lap a tank could mean an escalation of the war, contract nato, into a direct confrontation with russia. the tanks have been sold to dozens of countries around the world. those who want to export him to ukraine