Opinion | Germany’s U-turn on tanks comes just in time for Ukraine, but much too late for Nato allies

After months of reluctance, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz finally agreed to send Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine. While the decision will change the war’s trajectory, the damage for Germany has already been done. Once again, Berlin has shown that the gap between aspirations and reality for European leadership has yet to be bridged.

The war in Ukraine has been raging for almost a year. In the ever-changing environment, one constant has prevailed: Germany’s presence as an albatross around the Western alliance’s neck over whether Ukraine should be provided with the best possible opportunity to withstand and, ideally, win against Russia.

The irony is palpable. Germany has been outsourcing its own security to Washington for decades. The fact that the last defence minister with any prior experience on the matter was in office in the 1980s only underscores this argument.

However, it was never a plausible motive. Thus far, Putin has not waited for the West to escalate. His aggression, the bombing of civilian targets, and the butcherings in Bucha are exhibits a, b, and c.