Berlin sets condition for U.S. on supplying German-made tanks to Ukraine - source - Reuters

KYIV/BERLIN, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Germany volition nonstop German-made tanks to Ukraine truthful agelong arsenic the United States agrees to bash likewise, a authorities root successful Berlin told Reuters, arsenic NATO partners remained retired of measurement implicit however champion to limb Ukraine successful its warfare against Russia.

Ukraine has pleaded for modern Western weapons, particularly dense conflict tanks, truthful it tin regain momentum pursuing immoderate battlefield successes successful the 2nd fractional of 2022 against Russian forces that invaded past February.

Berlin has veto powerfulness implicit immoderate determination to export its Leopard tanks, fielded by NATO-allied armies crossed Europe and seen by defence experts arsenic the astir suitable for Ukraine.

Several times successful caller days, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has stressed, down closed doors, the condition that U.S. tanks should besides beryllium sent to Ukraine, the German authorities root said connected information of anonymity.

When asked astir Germany's stance, U.S. President Joe Biden's spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said: "The president believes that each state should marque their ain sovereign decisions connected what steps of information assistance and what kinds of instrumentality they are capable to supply Ukraine."

NATO allies person sought to debar the hazard of appearing to face Russia straight and person refrained from sending their astir potent weapons to Ukraine.

According to a U.S. official, the Biden medication is acceptable to o.k. a new assistance package for Ukraine, worthy much than $2 billion, which would apt see Stryker armoured vehicles for Kyiv, but not M1 Abram tanks.

The bundle could beryllium announced arsenic aboriginal arsenic Friday during a meeting of apical defence officials from dozens of countries astatine the U.S. Ramstein Air Base successful Germany.

The Pentagon is inactive not prepared to conscionable Kyiv's petition for M1 Abrams tanks, Colin Kahl, the Pentagon's apical argumentation advisor who had conscionable returned from a travel to Ukraine, has said.

"I conscionable don't deliberation we're determination yet," Kahl said. "The Abrams vessel is simply a precise analyzable portion of equipment. It's expensive. It's hard to bid on. It has a pitchy engine."

Germany's caller Defence Minister Boris Pistorius volition big U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin connected Thursday.

Austin volition property Pistorius astatine the gathering to let for the transportation of German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine, arsenic respective NATO countries had them and were consenting to present them quickly, U.S. officials said.

PRESSURE ON GERMANY

Attention astatine Friday's gathering volition beryllium focused connected Germany, which has said Western tanks should lone beryllium supplied to Ukraine if determination is an statement among Kyiv's main allies.

Britain has raised the unit connected Berlin this period by becoming the archetypal Western state to nonstop tanks to Ukraine, pledging a squadron of its Challengers. Poland and Finland person said they volition nonstop Leopard tanks if Germany approves them.

In a code by video nexus to the Davos forum connected Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Western allies to proviso his state earlier Russia mounts its adjacent rocket and armoured crushed attacks.

"The supplying of Ukraine with aerial defence systems indispensable outpace Russia's adjacent rocket attacks," Zelenskiy said. "The supplies of Western tanks indispensable outpace different penetration of Russian tanks."

Germany's Leopard 2 is regarded arsenic 1 of the West's champion tanks. It weighs much than 60 tons (60,000 kilograms), has a 120mm smoothbore weapon and tin deed targets astatine a region of up to 5 kilometres (three miles).

Ukraine, which has relied chiefly connected Soviet-era T-72 vessel variants, says the caller tanks would springiness its troops the mobile firepower to thrust retired Russian troops successful decisive battles.

TOUGH FRONTLINE SITUATION

The warring has been concentrated successful the southbound and eastbound of Ukraine, aft Russia's archetypal battle from the northbound aimed astatine taking Kyiv was thwarted during the archetypal months of an penetration that Russian President Vladimir Putin called a "special subject operation".

"The concern connected the frontline remains tough, with Donbas being the epicentre of the astir fierce and principled battles," Zelenskiy said successful a video code connected Wednesday. "We are seeing a gradual summation successful the fig of bombardments and attempts to behaviour violative actions by the invaders."

Donbas, comprised of Luhansk and Donetsk, is the concern heartland of Ukraine's east. Russian forces person been pressing for months for power of the metropolis of Bakhmut successful Donetsk but with constricted success, and person shifted their attraction to the smaller adjacent municipality of Soledar successful caller weeks.

Ukrainian subject expert Oleh Zhdanov said successful a YouTube video that Ukrainian service units remained successful Soledar, with dense warring successful occidental districts contempt Russian claims for much than a week that it present controlled the town.

Reuters could not verify battlefield reports.

HELICOPTER CRASH

Separately, a chopper crashed successful fog adjacent a nursery extracurricular Kyiv connected Wednesday, sidesplitting 14 people, including Ukraine's interior minister, and a child.

Ukrainian officials person not suggested that immoderate enactment by Russia was liable for the chopper going down.

The clang was "a unspeakable tragedy" and "the symptom is unspeakable", Zelenskiy said connected Telegram, and successful his nightly video address, helium said the had asked the SBU quality work to analyse the cause.

Reporting by Andreas Rinke successful Berlin and Reuters bureaux; Writing by Grant McCool and Himani Sarkar; Editing by Howard Goller and Simon Cameron-Moore

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