At least thirty-two (32) military Generals have convened for a meeting at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, to discuss future "aid" and "tactics" for the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict. Today, the world will find out if Germany will approve the sending of German tanks to Ukraine - a "Red Line" for Russia.
Germany manufactures the Leopard-2 main battle tank. Several other countries in Europe have purchased a number of these tanks over the years, and want to ive them to Ukraine, so as to fight Russia, but there's a problem.
When a country manufactures weapons, and then sells those weapons to another country, the sale is contingent on the receiving country agreeing NOT to re-sell (or give) those weapons to anyone else without permission of the originating country.
In this case, Poland want to give the Leopard-2 tanks they bought, to Ukraine. Germany has not given permission, so the tanks cannot go.
Last week, the German Defense Minister, Lebrecht, resigned There is now a new Defense Minister, and he is attending today's meeting at Ramstein Air Base.
Leaked information coming out of Germany indicates the new minister will approve the transfer of Leopard-2 tanks, but right now, that is only RUMOR.
Yet, there are additional problems.
Through political back-channels, Russia has informed Germany that if German tanks attack Russian soil, it will be a violation of the Potsdam Treaty that ended World War Two. That Treaty makes clear Germany is only allowed to have a "Defense Force" which can be used "for nothing else." Manufacturing tanks which are then sent to Ukraine to fight Russia, would be using the German military for "something else" and Russia's position is that will violate the Demilitarization" provisions of the Potsdam Treaty. Russia allegedly told Germany that if German tanks attack Russian soil "World War 3 will begin immediately.
The rub here is that the former oblasts of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporozyhe, have now joined Russia and been accepted by the Russian legislature, called the Duma. So those territories are now "Russian soil."
Ukraine does not recognize this, nor does the collective West. They refer to those oblasts as having been "illegally annexed."
So Russia views the territories as Russian soil, the West does not. If Ukraine is given German tanks and use those tanks to attack "Russian Soil" it will re-start World War 2, or be known as "World War 3."
That is how close the entire world is to horrifying war on a vast scale, and we all get to hear the decision about the German tanks, today.
UPDATE 11:50 AM EST --
The new German Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius has just publicly announced "NATO countries failed to reach a unified position regarding the supply of Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv." He went on to say ""Statements by the media that Germany is on the way to creating a coalition to send heavy tanks to Ukraine are lies. There are good reasons to send equipment, but there are also reasons not to." All pros and cons must be weighed. Many allies share our point of view, Pistorius added.
