Tanks for Ukraine in sight as holdout Germany says new minister to decide - Reuters

DNIPRO, Ukraine/KYIV, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Ukraine came a measurement person connected Tuesday to winning the fleet of modern conflict tanks it hopes could crook the people of the warfare against Russia, aft the West's large holdout Germany said this would beryllium the archetypal point connected its caller defence minister's agenda.

In the cardinal metropolis of Dnipro, authorities called an end to the hunt for survivors successful the ruins of an flat gathering destroyed during Russian rocket attacks connected Saturday.

Forty-four radical were confirmed killed and 20 inactive unaccounted for successful the attack, the deadliest for civilians of a three-month Russian rocket bombardment campaign. Seventy-nine radical were wounded and 39 rescued from the rubble.

Nearly 11 months aft Russia invaded, Kyiv says a fleet of Western conflict tanks would springiness its troops the mobile firepower to thrust Russian troops retired successful decisive battles successful 2023.

German-made Leopard conflict tanks, workhorse of armies crossed Europe, are wide seen arsenic the lone plausible enactment disposable successful capable numbers. But they cannot beryllium delivered without authorisation from Berlin, which has truthful acold demurred.

With Western allies gathering astatine a U.S. airbase successful Germany connected Friday to pledge subject enactment for Ukraine, Berlin is nether aggravated unit to assistance its objections this week, successful what would beryllium 1 of the astir consequential shifts successful Western assistance truthful far.

The determination sits connected the table of Germany's caller Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, named connected Tuesday to regenerate Christine Lambrecht, who discontinue aft missteps including a cheerful New Year's connection astir the warfare that opponents called code deaf.

"When the person, erstwhile the curate of defence, is declared, this is the archetypal question to beryllium decided concretely," German Economy Minister Robert Habeck told Deutschlandfunk vigor broadcaster connected Tuesday, earlier the assignment was announced.

In his archetypal comments successful the job, Pistorius, a determination person viewed arsenic adjacent to Chancellor Olaf Scholz, made nary notation of weapons for Ukraine: "I cognize the value of the task," helium said successful a statement. "It is important to maine to impact the soldiers intimately and to instrumentality them with me."

Pistorius is owed to big U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin connected Thursday up of Friday's large gathering of allies astatine Ramstein aerial base.

Germany has been cautious astir approving weapons that could beryllium seen arsenic an escalation. But allies progressively reason that interest is misplaced, with Russia showing nary motion of backing down from its battle connected its neighbour.

Britain broke the taboo implicit dense tanks implicit the weekend, pledging a squadron of its Challengers. But it has excessively fewer to signifier the ground of a Ukrainian force. Washington's Abrams tanks tally connected turbine engines, seen arsenic burning excessively overmuch substance for Ukraine to tract successful ample numbers.

That leaves the Leopards, which Germany made successful the thousands during the Cold War and which are present fielded by armies crossed Europe. Poland and Finland person already said they would nonstop Leopards if Berlin gives re-export approval.

"We anticipation and are trying to organise bigger enactment for Ukraine. We anticipation a fewer partners, allies, volition springiness tanks to Ukraine," Polish President Andrzej Duda said connected Tuesday astatine the World Economic Forum successful Davos, Switzerland.

In a motion of the stakes for Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy held a telephone telephone with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeyer connected Tuesday, and a video question-and-answer league with German students. He interrupted the second to instrumentality what helium said was an urgent telephone from troops astatine the front.

CUDDLY TOYS AT MEMORIAL

Tens of thousands of radical person been killed and millions driven from their homes since Russia launched what it calls a "special subject operation" successful Ukraine successful February past year.

Ukrainian forces drove Russian troops backmost during the 2nd fractional of 2022, but implicit the past 2 months the beforehand lines person mostly been frozen successful spot contempt some sides enduring dense losses successful relentless fighting. Ukrainian officials accidental tanks would beryllium cardinal to breaking the stalemate.

Russia claims to person captured the tiny mining municipality of Soledar connected the outskirts of the eastbound metropolis of Bakhmut past week. Kyiv says it is inactive warring there: "Our units are located successful Soledar and are perpetually hitting the force with fire," Serhiy Cherevaty, a Ukrainian subject spokesman, said.

Moscow, meanwhile, has turned since October to a maneuver of raining missiles down connected Ukrainian cities acold from the front, chiefly targeting energy infrastructure.

Russia says it aims to trim Ukraine's quality to fight; Kyiv says the attacks service nary subject intent and are intended to harm civilians, a warfare crime.

In Dnipro, residents near flowers and cuddly toys astatine a makeshift memorial adjacent the flat artifact destroyed during Russia's question of rocket attacks connected Saturday.

A worker staggered away, wiping distant tears, aft laying flowers connected the spot of a transport structure turned into a impermanent monument to victims. A candle burned beside the increasing heap of toys and bouquets.

"We came present to look, wage our respects. It is precise tough, specified a shame astir lives lost," said 63-year-old Viktoria.

Moscow denies intentionally targeting civilians and blamed Ukraine's aerial defences for the rocket that deed the flat block. Kyiv says it was deed by a notoriously inaccurate Russian anti-ship rocket for which Ukraine has nary defences.

Russia attacked Ukraine connected Feb. 24, saying Kyiv's adjacent ties with the West created a information threat. Ukraine and its Western allies telephone it an unprovoked warfare to prehend onshore and enforce Russia's volition connected its neighbour.

Writing by Peter Graff; Editing by Nick Macfie and Alex Richardson

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