The Russian invasion. The outside world's response

 

M1 Abrams, Joe Biden, Bjørn Arild Gram TT  

The Russian invasion. The outside world's response  

The US and Norway send tanks to Ukraine: "We will do whatever it takes"  

The US will send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. This is announced by US President Joe Biden at a press conference. 

- The United States and our allies will do everything necessary for Ukraine to be able to defend itself, he says and continues: 

- That's what this is about, helping Ukraine defend itself. It is not an offensive threat to Russia.  

Biden calls the tanks the world's most advanced. He says they require training and maintenance and the US will help Ukraine with that. Training of Ukrainian soldiers is expected to begin shortly, but it could be months before the tanks are used in combat in Ukraine  

At the same time as Biden gave his speech, Norway also announced that they want to send the German-made Leopard 2-A4 tank to Ukraine. 

- In summary, we must do what we can to support Ukraine's defense struggle, says Norway's Minister of Defense Bjørn Arild Gram to NRK.  

Leopard 2/Ukrainian soldiers. TT 

The Russian invasion. The outside world's response  

Analysis: Leopard 2 allows Ukraine to win the war  

The Leopard 2 tank – which Germany has decided to send to Ukraine – is the heaviest weapon system the West has sent so far and could greatly change Ukraine's capabilities. This is what war science researcher Oscar Jonsson writes in an analysis in Expressen.  

According to Jonsson, the latest aid packages mark a shift as until now the aid has been "extremely reactive" for fear that Ukraine would lose and the weapons would go to Russia. Now the packages are instead "proactive", he says. 

"It shifts the focus from making sure Ukraine avoids losing to giving Ukraine the opportunity to actually win." 

 The BBC's Russia correspondent Steve Rosenberg writes in an analysis that Germany's decision will be used in Russia to strengthen the narrative that NATO is waging a war against Russia. 

Leopard 2. Heiko Junge / NTB  

Russian invasionRussian reactions 

Moscow: Germany's Leopard decision 'extremely dangerous'  

Russia's ambassador to Germany Sergej Nechaev is critical of Germany's decision to deliver the Leopard 2 tank to Ukraine, writes AFP.  

- This extremely dangerous decision takes the conflict to a new level of confrontation and contradicts the statements of German politicians and the reluctance of the German federation to get involved, he says according to a statement from the embassy. 

Germany's announcement came today after Ukraine and German allied countries urged the Germans to give the green light to the scheme.