If you have questions regarding your subscription of European Security & Defence contact our subscriber service: Foreign Affairs has been the leading forum for serious discussion of American foreign policy and global affairs The magazine has featured contributions from many leading international affairs experts Osgood Professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies Burke Chair in Strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies Eliot A. Cohen This article is part of a series examining what a year of war in Ukraine has revealed The Western response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been less a problem of strategy than of tactics and execution the basic idea—support Ukraine and defeat Russia—has held up well; the implementation has not That holds especially true for the United States Successful statecraft has much in common with the concept of aerial combat formulated by twentieth-century U.S Air Force pilot and military thinker John Boyd From his experience in the Korean War and later studies Boyd concluded that fighter pilots engage in combat in a four-stage cycle: a pilot observes what is going on The tighter the loop—the quicker and more efficiently each stage is mastered—the greater the chance of success Russians have turned the United States’ failure to uphold that comment which was not an official policy or document into what they see as a legitimate grievance Moreover, few if any Western leaders paid adequate attention to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s article “On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians,” published in July 2021 more than six months before the Russian invasion Fewer still saw how seriously Putin took the threat of democratic contagion to his regime Putin called on Europe to dismantle its security order many Western leaders did not accept that they were dealing with a man who aimed at nothing less than restoring a Russian empire based on chauvinism the United States offered Zelensky help to escape—and that most Ukrainians would accept their reincorporation into the Russian empire restored its own intelligence credibility after the failures of the Iraq War and established a strong basis for arming Ukraine’s defense forces—forces that were meaning that they will not be ready for use until late this spring—possibly too late for them to make a difference in Russia’s expected late-winter and early-spring offensives clocks are ticking in different places and at different paces There are clocks determined by weather and muddy seasons by training cycles and mobilization of troops by the ebbs and flows of public and military morale and by the supply of weapons and ammunition undermining not only the Ukrainian cause but also its own large-scale programs to train Ukrainian soldiers in Germany and the United Kingdom of the kind the British began in July 2022 could have been established on a large scale months earlier The United States could have put High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) into the pipeline to Ukraine as soon as the war began could have been trained and ready to use them by the time the war shifted to the east last summer command could have been stood up last spring Western main battle tanks could have been delivered in the fall of 2022—when Ukraine was on the move and Russia had not yet assembled more forces—as could have the long-range missiles that Ukraine needs to destroy Russian logistics learning in a matter of weeks to use weapons systems that in peacetime require months of training their military resembles Israel’s of an earlier era—ingenious not always the most skilled or best equipped Ukraine could have further exploited the collapse of Russian units near Kharkiv in September 2022 and weakened the entire Russian position in the south of Ukraine a Ukrainian military equipped with long-range missile systems could be already dismantling the logistical infrastructure on which the Russian invaders depend But Ukraine has been held back by its patrons Western strategists have also failed to accurately assess Russia’s future the former national security adviser and secretary of state asserted in 2022 that despite Russia’s “propensity to violence,” the country has contributed “to the global equilibrium and to the balance of power for over half a millennium.” To the contrary: historically Russia has not only consistently expanded its empire but also has celebrated conquest Such sentiment is indeed stronger than ever a former Russian military intelligence officer who led a U.S.-headquartered think tank in Moscow was correct when he pointed out that Russia’s relationship with the West today has ruptured to a degree comparable to the split caused by the Bolshevik Revolution Russia looked as though it might join a more open and peaceful world order and for the foreseeable future the West must deal with a Russia that is hostile That is an unpalatable conclusion for those in the West who prefer a different world order or a decisive pivot to Asia Part of statecraft is about seizing opportunities Ukraine’s surprising battlefield effectiveness and resilience had opened up a window in which one could imagine the liberation of much Had Ukraine managed to sever the land corridor between Russia and Crimea Russian forces would have struggled to maintain their hold not only on the parts of Ukraine that they had conquered since the invasion but also on Crimea itself now that Russia has had time to dig in and mobilize hundreds of thousands of additional troops The war raises the likelihood that Ukraine will Some European politicians such as Petr Pavel advocate for Ukraine’s integration into the West Ukraine can be armed and supported so strongly in the interim as to deter further Russian aggression But it will require an overwhelming sense of urgency and willingness to act on the right scale to make that happen And creating a sense of urgency in turn will require a change in the style of U.S statecraft vis à vis ambivalent allies such as Turkey or Switzerland the United States has been remarkably benign; indeed it does not like to understand itself as a hegemon at all when a great deal of prosperity and freedom depend on Ukrainian victory and—equally important—Russian defeat it is time for the United States to get far more transactional In particular, Washington should become unbendingly tough with Russia-tilting European states, such as Hungary It is often forgotten that Spain and Vichy France avoided joining Germany during World War II in part because the United Kingdom and the United States threatened to cut off their food shipments such as trade and investment relationships There are times to treat the antics of corrupt or supine leaders of small but strategically placed countries with bemused detachment beginning with a presidential speech to explain the stakes for the United States in Ukraine A statecraft in which leaders understand the world at scale and with full commitment is what the United States and its allies need now and secure can be rebuilt from the carnage Russia can still pull some measure of success from a criminal war in which it has every chance of suffering a well-deserved and thorough defeat Subscribe to Foreign Affairs to get unlimited access Already a subscriber? Sign In Dara Massicot Timothy Snyder Thomas Rid Liana Fix and Heidi Crebo-Rediker Peter Schroeder Julian G. Waller Ivo H. Daalder and James M. Lindsay Tong Zhao Zongyuan Zoe Liu Anne Neuberger Liana Fix and Michael Kimmage * Note that when you provide your email address, the Foreign Affairs Privacy Policy and Terms of Use will apply to your newsletter subscription Published by The Council on Foreign Relations Privacy Policy Terms of Use From the publishers of  Foreign Affairs This website uses cookies to improve your experience You can opt-out of certain cookies using the cookie management page * Note that when you provide your email address, the Foreign Affairs Privacy Policy and Terms of Use will apply to your newsletter subscription You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information is expected to be approved by the budget committee in the lower house of the German parliament on Wednesday according to people familiar with the matter and defense ministry documents obtained by Bloomberg We are a global communion of churches in the Lutheran tradition country programs and partner organizations to promote justice reconciliation and dignity for individuals and communities LWF membership represents over 78 million Christians in the Lutheran tradition in 99 countries across the globe as well as ten recognized churches and congregations We strive to put our faith into action within and beyond the communion and seek God’s Word and Spirit to guide us Your partnership truly makes a difference.Together a better world is possible.With Passion for the Church and for the World Elected deacons and officers at Augustdorf in the British zone (LWI) - Support and advocacy for refugees has been a central vocation of The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) since its founding nearly 70 years ago Millions of Europeans were displaced during and after the Second World War Some estimates put the number of refugees from Europe at nearly 60 million Around 10 million of these were Lutheran Christians Lutherans around the world mobilized to provide assistance This was the context in which LWF was founded in 1947 in 1947 called attention to the situation of refugees and encouraged the churches to respond to this need in any way possible support to refugees is one of the foundational principles of the LWF This has entailed meeting the basic needs of displaced people advocating for their rights and supporting the churches in their ministry to people living in exile One such church was the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in Exile More than 200,000 Latvians fled their home country as the war was ending The 125,000 members of the church who moved to Germany’s western region and to Austria were supported by 110 pastors The LWF assisted the church and others in similar situations by helping pastors secure travel permits supplying Holy Communion sets and paper to print hymnbooks A number of letters and documents in the LWF archives give insight into the situation of refugees and church life in the years after the war and affirm the reasons why intervention by the LWF was important was moved by a response to a request from a pastor of the Latvian church One reads that support would be provided for printing Bibles and hymnbooks "Pastor “X” has asked for clerical gowns for about 20 pastors We acknowledge that decent gowns are desirable but we must consider that millions of people who ask for Church Inter Aid So we felt that we should postpone this demand." The priorities were clear: The naked need to be clothed (Mt 25) As a token of gratitude for LWF efforts to resettle Latvian refugees ordained LWF leaders were later presented with crosses A cross originally presented to Dr Carl Lund-Quist Lutheran pastor Ron Swenson who handed it over to General Secretary Rev Dr Martin Junge explained that he had received it from Lund-Quist's sister in the 1980s Junge accepted the cross on behalf of the LWF "To receive the “Latvian cross” was an amazing encouragement We were reminded that serving those in need is one of the foundational vocations of the LWF The “Latvian cross” encourages us to sustain this vocation in today’s world with its unprecedented movement of refugees worldwide it reminds us that then and now people continue seeking protection while fleeing war and violence And that churches have a lot to contribute in this regard "The LWF as communion of churches continues standing firmly behind the principle that there is a duty to protect refugees religious affiliation and any other consideration while protecting and resettling Syrians and all other people fleeing from violence.” Services were held regularly in the camp parishes often in churches like this in Camp Valka at Nurnberg The Latvian children of Valka Camp at Nurnberg attended their children's service each Sunday Over 100 pastors of the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in Exile met at the Lutheran Study Center at Berchtesgaden in October 1948 The huge Latvian congregation in exile at Esslingen followed the procession of confirmands led by Archbishop Teodors Grunbergs Hymn singing was a vital part of the liturgy in the churches The ladies' double quartet of the Augustdorf camp congregation participated in the worship services Congregations in exile regularly elected deacons and officers such as this group of leaders at Augustdorf in the British zone A Latvian Cross presented to Dr Carl Lund-Quist as a token of gratitude for LWF efforts to resettle Latvian refugees recently returned to the LWF Communion Office served as a reminder to our duty to protect refugees regardless of nationality or religious affiliation Chemin du Pavillon 2,1218 Le Grand Saconnex [email protected]+41 (0)22 791 60 00 whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine June 2 (UPI) -- German police said a student driver narrowly escaped being flattened by a British tank Essential digital access to quality FT journalism on any device Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders Complete digital access to quality analysis and expert insights complemented with our award-winning Weekend Print edition Terms & Conditions apply Discover all the plans currently available in your country See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times The Bundeswehr is forming Panzerbrigade 42 composed of Panzerbataillon 203 equipped with the Leopard 2 tank (pictured) and Panzergrenadierbataillon 122 with the Puma IFV The Bundeswehr is forming a panzer (armoured) brigade to be permanently stationed in Lithuania the German Federal Ministry of Defence announced in a press release on 6 November The decision was made by Federal Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius on the recommendation of Bundeswehr Generalinspekteur (chief of defence) General Carsten Breuer the new formation will be composed of Panzerbataillon (Armoured Battalion) 203 from Augustdorf in northern Germany and Panzergrenadierbataillon (Armoured Infantry Battalion) 122 from Oberviechtach close to the Czech-German border The brigade's third battalion will be the rotating German-led NATO enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) multinational battlegroup in Lithuania The two battalions based in Germany will be moved to Lithuania when the necessary infrastructure is ready their bases in Germany will receive new units Panzerartilleriebataillon (Armoured Artillery Battalion) 215 will be re-established at Augustdorf and Artilleriebataillon 131 will be moved 40 km from Weiden southeastward to Oberviechtach The Bundeswehr is also considering forming a light support company in Oberviechtach newly established Panzerartilleriebataillon 375 will continue to be built up in Weiden Initial command elements of Panzerbrigade 42 are scheduled to be deployed to Lithuania during the second quarter of 2024 followed by a staff to establish the brigade starting in the fourth quarter of 2024 Panzerbataillon 203 is equipped with Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks 14 of which have been donated to Ukraine and will be replaced by Leopard 2A8s Panzergrenadierbataillon 122 is one of the Bundeswehr's few battalions equipped with the Puma infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) Gain unlimited access to Janes news and more.. Delivering trusted intelligence to warfighters to protect national interests Providing mission users with faster access to quality data to pre-empt threats and protect national security Assured interconnected OSINT to deliver informed Solutions Insights About Contact Request a demo Customer Login Store Receive the latest developments in defence and security as well as keep informed on Janes news and events Janes Intelligence SummaryA fortnightly update featuring the latest analysis MAX BERGMANN is Director of the Stuart Center and the Europe and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies he served in a number of positions at the U.S including as a member of the Policy Planning Staff SOPHIA BESCH is a Europe Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Max Bergmann and Sophia Besch When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 it seemed like a transformational moment for European security Surely now Europe would finally get its act together on defense such a transformation has not materialized The fault for the ongoing stasis lies with many parties—European states the European Union and even the United States—all of whom have defaulted to the comfortable practices of the past in the hope of preserving an untenable status quo This is not to say that Europe has not been altered by the war. European publics and their leaders have rallied in support of Ukraine and maintained their support despite skyrocketing energy prices and high inflation. European countries have provided massive quantities of arms to Ukraine although not as much as the United States. Finland and Sweden have applied to join NATO The EU has provided billions in lethal equipment to Ukraine and is training Ukrainian forces And the sense of shock and urgency felt by European leaders in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine is reflected clearly in defense spending hikes Now most European countries in NATO come close to the organization’s goal that all members spend at least two percent of GDP on defense with some countries such as Poland and the Baltic states spending far more and these changes seem less than transformative Although the current spending bonanza might suggest a transformation it may amount to little if underlying issues plaguing European defense remain unaddressed The momentum in favor of reform and change that had built up over the last decade appears to have vanished Although proposals exist for addressing these problems none offer the kind of sweeping initiative that would be necessary to fix them But the present situation is unsustainable. Joe Biden may be the last truly transatlanticist U.S as a generational change will eventually come to American politics While American national security leaders brought up in the twentieth century were consumed with European security—from the Cold War to NATO expansion and the Balkan wars—a younger generation focused instead on the Middle East If Europeans do not reform their fragmented defense forces and procurement systems now they will soon be back where they started before the Russian invasion of Ukraine The opportunity to transform European defense is slipping away And it is not just Germany: Spain also has more than 300 Leopard tanks but one-third of them are no longer active and are largely in disrepair Europeans lack sufficient quantities of artillery and are therefore heavily depleting their forces to support Ukraine has sent more than one-third of its howitzers to Ukraine while Denmark has sent practically all of its artillery committed themselves earlier this year to sending Leopard tanks to Ukraine it is unclear how long it will take to make them combat-ready the alliance refocused on the Russia threat and the demands of conventional warfare NATO agreed on the goal of creating a ready force of 300,000 NATO sets targets that it hopes its member states will meet on their own—and no one explained how the organization would collectively meet such an ambitious goal And even those European leaders who are determined to support Ukraine and ramp up their own capabilities to deter Russia do not have the kind of arsenals and procurement procedures that the task at hand requires The root cause is low European defense spending But a broader issue is that Europe does not have a common defense market to meet the needs of European security What it has is more than 25 different Pentagons This scattered landscape makes meaningful cooperation on procurement a huge political and bureaucratic undertaking European defense spending is thus heavily fragmented and often directed at supporting national military industrial complexes U.S. opposition has had a significant chilling effect on attempts to improve coordination. It just takes a few skittish EU member states, worried about the reaction from their security guarantor, to pump the brakes on collective EU efforts. Partly because of such obstruction, European defense cooperation has declined over the past decade cooperative spending on military equipment—that is member states pooling their money to jointly procure weapons—represented just 18 percent of total defense equipment procurement by the countries involved This is far short of the EU’s target of 35 percent for collaborative procurement the defense sector stands in stark contrast to other European economic sectors which have been heavily integrated through the creation of the European single market troops for the airlift of European evacuees the perilous state of European armed forces is the fault of European governments But NATO’s role in bringing about this state of affairs also deserves scrutiny European defense is not in disarray because the EU has “duplicated” NATO efforts With the EU neutered as a defense actor for the past two decades European defense has been the domain of NATO and its member states pulling together units from different countries’ militaries and forming a cohesive organization that can fight effectively But it has proven incapable of integrating over 25 different European defense ministries and armament divisions And NATO’s penchant for championing its own strength and unity tends to mask the decrepit state of European forces the solution to these capability gaps has been to make European defense fundamentally an American responsibility while demanding more spending from Europeans But European countries tend not to prioritize investments in systems that would mitigate their dependence on Washington Germany’s Zeitenwende didn’t result in announcements of new air tankers That remains a task left to the United States European governments prioritize purchases from domestic firms or third-country suppliers such as the United States to strengthen defense ties with Washington NATO’s fundamental job is to get the various militaries in the alliance organized to fight together or get ministries of defense to collaborate more and supplement European defense spending—just as it has in other European economic sectors The EU should steer and incentivize European armament efforts to make sure that countries procure interoperable systems and don’t snub European defense firms in favor of third-country suppliers across the board Having sent huge quantities of equipment to Ukraine EU members that have embarked on defense spending sprees are now understandably looking for quick solutions believing that they cannot afford to wait for European producers to finalize designs for new systems and ramp up production European countries are looking to restock their arsenals quickly and replace equipment sent to Ukraine with systems they can buy readily from manufacturers in countries outside Europe chose to order tanks from the United States and South Korea last year instead of waiting for the Main Ground Combat System a project that France and Germany started in 2012 that aims to replace the main European battle tanks that are currently in service The problem is that when a country procures a major weapons system it is entering into a commitment to buy and maintain that tank or aircraft for decades setting back the next opportunity to change suppliers and cementing European fragmentation Europe thus needs a plan to both increase defense integration and kick-start its own defense industrial base The European Commission wants to spend $530 million over the next two years to incentivize countries to buy the same kit the EU will offset some of the costs of cooperation This is a follow-up to the EU’s recently created European Defense Fund which incentivizes member states to work together on defense research and development leaving the European Commission with few funds to draw from member states could allocate more resources to defense but as of now there is little momentum for a massive influx of funds The EU borrowed $800 billion in response to the COVID-19 pandemic but has not done the same in response to the war Instead of pushing the EU to increase the budget and to encourage member states to cooperate the United States has been lobbying behind the scenes to ensure that American companies can access the funding instead of the war serving as a transformative moment European countries are doubling down on their reliance on the United States and failing to coordinate The EU is coming up with smart ideas but is not coming through with the funding The United States is basking in the glow of demonstrating its indispensability while subtly undercutting common European efforts that might mean less profit for American defense companies And NATO is busy creating the illusion of strength by setting unachievable targets when almost none of Europe’s tanks seem to work arguing that the EU needed to take joint action as it did during the pandemic This could be a significant step because if the EU can jointly procure ammunition there is no reason why it can’t take similar steps to jointly acquire artillery or to step up Leopard tank production not enough orders have been made for new Leopards to increase production the CEO of the Munich-based tank manufacturer KMW “No one has thus far given us the signal,” he said in Munich last month the EU and its member states will have to allocate the funds This is where Washington’s encouragement is critical Although the Biden administration deserves considerable praise for its engagement with Europe and its leadership in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine the United States has not pushed for any major structural reforms to European defense the Biden administration has mainly pursued initiatives that have enlarged the United States’ role on the continent Washington has increased the number of U.S and expanding the American naval presence in Spain These steps were all sensible and gratefully received by Europeans But the sustainability of increased deployments to Europe is unclear especially as the Pentagon is increasingly focused on China The Biden administration now looks increasingly bereft of ideas for how to make Europe less dependent on the United States The United States is torn between the contradictory goals of preserving its indispensability in Europe and reducing Europe’s dependence on the United States the Biden administration has defaulted to the traditional U.S demand that European countries spend more on defense (but to buy American and not through the EU) Now that European countries will finally spend the equivalent of two percent of GDP on defense there is talk of the United States pushing for a new NATO spending goal of possibly three percent it will have a marginal impact on European defense impractical target will serve only as a source of tension and frustration within the alliance One way to get out of this rut would be for the United States to reverse its opposition to EU defense integration initiatives and outwardly encourage more funding for such efforts The United States should stop lobbying for access to EU defense funds and instead use its influence with European member states particularly in northern and eastern Europe to push these countries to support more funding for EU procurement programs embassies across Europe used their influence to press for those efforts instead of U.S It has become clear that American arms sales to Europe have come at a cost to the transatlantic alliance Every weapons sale to Europe weakens the European defense industrial base by depriving a European company of its core market That is what happens whenever a European country buys a Patriot air defense system from the U.S company Raytheon instead of a SAMP/T system from Raytheon’s French-Italian-United Kingdom competitor MBDA; a Lockheed Martin F-16 instead of a Saab Gripen from Sweden; or an Abrams tank instead of a British Challenger American diplomats will inevitably advocate weapons purchases from U.S just as European diplomats champion their own countries’ military contractors But when the United States speaks on defense in Europe The diplomatic benefit to the United States of these sales is also minimal as Washington is already in a military alliance with European countries State Department should therefore consider the impact of American arms sales on the defense industrial base of the NATO alliance when it weighs whether to advocate such purchases More broadly, instead of merely pushing European countries to spend more on defense, the United States needs to use its leverage to encourage European military cooperation It could instead encourage a coordinated defense planning effort between NATO and the EU that encourages the European production and procurement of certain critical capabilities deemed essential by both organizations the continent will never outgrow its overreliance on Washington Stephen M. Walt Nathalie Tocci Sophia Besch and Richard Youngs Janina Dill, Marnie Howlett, and Carl Müller-Crepon Emma Ashford Michael McFaul which also includes spare parts and services was approved by the budget committee in the lower house of parliament Wednesday 2023 at 9:06 AM ESTUpdated on February 24 2023 at 12:24 PM ESTBookmarkSaveLock This article is for subscribers only.Sweden will send a batch of main battle tanks to Ukraine in a move set to help European countries fulfill their pledges and shore up the country’s ability to fight back against Russian attacks The Swedish government’s decision to send about 10 tanks based on Germany’s Leopard 2 marks a major push by Ukraine’s allies to help its army handle an expected intensification of fighting in coming weeks A tank crew member fires a tank mounted machine gun as German Defense minister Boris Pistorius visits Leopard II tanks that are due to be supplied to Ukraine at the tank brigade Lipperland of Germany's army and part of the Bundeswehr Germany: Germany's defence minister on Wednesday showed off the tanks Berlin is preparing to send to Kyiv but recognised a "bitter loss" for the under-equipped Bundeswehr The arms delivery announced last week by Germany was necessary so the "Ukrainians win the war" Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on a visit to army barracks in northwestern Augustdorf But for the roughly 550 soldiers in the battalion stationed in the town the loss of 14 of their Leopard 2 tanks would be felt keenly "Their hearts bleed at the idea that these tanks have to be given up Ukraine needs all the support we can give it," he said Pistorius said he had "two hearts" in his chest taking account of the needs of both the German and Ukrainian armies which long stalled over the decision to send tanks to Ukraine early April" as part of a alliance of countries willing to supply "between 120 and 140" units Before they can be employed on the battlefield Ukrainian soldiers must first learn how to use and maintain some of the most modern tanks in the world Their intensive training will begin in the next few days in Germany "It will not be the full training that we have for our soldiers but that's the only way," the minister said Pistorius himself went out in one of the Leopard 2 tanks which criss-crossed the muddy training field The Ukrainian soldiers' instruction will take place in at the Bundeswehr's training centre in Munster where their colleagues are already learning to use the Marder infantry fighting vehicle The course will take around six weeks to complete according to a source close to the German army the training period for the four-person team in the Leopard 2 is much longer three months for the one who fires the shells and the one who loads them and three years for the commander," Martin Waltemathe "Driving is pretty simple," according to Waltemathe Steering the tank is "intuitive like an iPhone" The vehicle maintenance and repairs can however be more "problematic" Six years are usually needed to become well-versed in its upkeep The defence ministry has promised to replace the Ukraine-bound Leopards as quickly as possible the most modern version in use since the 1970s Reequipping the Bundeswehr is a top priority for the defence minister Chancellor Olaf Scholz in September vowed to transform the country's military into the "best equipped" in Europe But years of underinvestment have left a huge hill to climb for the Bundeswehr unscathed after a Challenger 2 battle tank drove over the bonnet of her Toyota hatchback in Augustdorf It was always going to be a rather unequal collision: a Toyota hatchback on one side and one of the British Army’s main battle tanks on the other In the end though, the novice driver of a car who police said had inadvertently turned into the path of a convoy of tanks in north-west Germany escaped unscathed was left rather the worse for wear after the convoy’s lead tank was unable to stop in time and ploughed over the Toyota’s bonnet had apparently not seen the convoy when she made a left turn in front of it as the tanks travelled through the small town of Augustdorf were en route to training exercises on Monday morning Police estimate the collision caused €12,000 (£8,700) of damage to the woman’s car An British army spokesperson said: “We can confirm that there was a road traffic incident involving a Challenger 2 tank and a car driven by a German national. The Royal Military police are working alongside the German civil police to investigate the incident.” another British military vehicle from the Paderborn garrison ploughed through the fence of an elderly couple The military said that a mechanical fault had led to the armoured Warrior vehicle veering off the road A British military spokesperson was quoted in The Local website denying that tank drivers needed to have their training re-assessed “Our tank crews go through a very rigorous training process,” he said reportedly adding that three members of personnel inside monitor the road “which is why they were able to stop soon enough” Please view the main text area of the page by skipping the main menu. The page may not be displayed properly if the JavaScript is deactivated on your browser The announcement was made on Saturday by prime minister Antonio Costa he declined to specify the time of delivery and the number of vehicles to be shipped  "I know how many tanks will be [sent to Ukraine] but that will be announced at the appropriate time," Costa told Portugal’s Lusa news agency The prime minister added  his government was in talks with Germany to obtain spare parts needed to mend a number of inoperable Leopard tanks in Portugal's inventory "We are currently working on how to dispense some of our tanks," Costa said said last month his country had 37 Leopard 2 tanks most of  them were supposed to be inoperable Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said earlier this week the country would receive 120 to 140 Western tanks in a "first wave" of deliveries from a coalition of 12 countries Kiev secured pledges from the West to supply main battle tanks to help fend off Russia's full-scale invasion with Moscow mounting huge efforts to launch a big new  offensive in eastern Ukraine Poland has made major diplomatic efforts to encourage fellow NATO allies to join a coalition of tank donors for Ukraine Warsaw has decided to hand over 14 German-made Leopard 2 tanks alongside some 60 post-Soviet T-72’s calling on countries around the world to follow suit Russia has requested a meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss what "prospects for peace" there are in Ukraine given a build-up of western weapons there.  which Russian news agency TASS said was first announced via messaging app Telegram on Tuesday only came to widespread public attention on Friday morning when oligarch Mikhael Khodorkovsy tweeted about it Malta’s permanent representative to the UN Vanessa Frazier confirmed to Times of Malta that the meeting has been scheduled for February 8.  She said the exact brief is not yet known “as this is usually communicated closer to the meeting” noted that it wanted to discuss peace prospects "in light of the build-up of arms by Western countries in Ukraine.” Malta is currently serving a two-year term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and is chairing the security council throughout February.  TASS reported that Russia's First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN had announced the meeting via his Telegram channel “We have requested a meeting to be held on February 8 to discuss prospects for resolving the Ukrainian crisis peacefully amid growing Western-made weapons supplies” Polyansky also noted a number of other Ukraine-related UN Security Council meetings slated to take place in February.  The meeting will be held on February 8 from 10am to 1pm and take place under the UNSC’s Threats to International Peace and Security (TIPS) agenda item Kyiv has secured promises from the West for deliveries of modern battle tanks to fight Russian forces and is now asking for long-range missiles and fighter jets A German government spokesman said on Friday that Berlin has authorised Leopard 1 tanks to be sent to Ukraine making good on the announcement last month to send the weapons that came after months of deliberations We are again being threatened by German Leopard tanks” said Russian President Vladimir Putin speaking in the southern city of Volgograd for commemorations to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory at the Battle of Stalingrad Putin has compared Russia's so-called "special military operation" in Ukraine to the war against Nazi Germany in 1941-1945 claiming Russian troops are ready to go "until the end." The Russian president has used World War II to promote his political agenda in recent years while the Kremlin has sought to give cult status to Moscow's victory in what Russians call the Great Patriotic War Despite a steady flow of arms and ammunition Russian forces are pressing Ukrainian troops in the eastern Donetsk region Moscow has been trying to seize control of Bakhmut in the industrial region for months in what has become the longest and bloodiest battle of the invasion Since sending troops to pro-Western Ukraine last February Putin has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons against the West if the conflict escalates "Again and again we are forced to repel the aggression of the collective West," Putin said in the city on the Volga River formerly known as Stalingrad "We aren't sending tanks to their borders but we have something to respond with and it won't be just about using armoured vehicles Everyone should understand this," he added "A modern war with Russia will be completely different," he said please register for free or log in to your account Glück im Unglück hatte am Montagmorgen eine 18-jährige Frau aus Detmold Sie übersah gleich eine ganze Panzerkolonne - mit Folgen Der Fahrzeugführer des ersten Panzers erfasste mit dem "Challenger 2" den Toyota und überrollte die Fahrzeugfront des PKW Die 18-Jährige konnte ihr völlig zerstörtes Fahrzeug unverletzt verlassen Der Gesamtschaden beträgt zirka 12.000 Euro One hundred and eighty-five military personnel and 60 Ministry of Defence civilians will continue to live in Paderborn with their family members The figure came after the Paderborn local government announced that 200 British Army soldiers would be staying British troops will also continue to use Sennelager Training Area The 45 square mile facility allows for large-scale manoeuvres to be rehearsed and there is also an urban warfare training centre Welsh Guards used the site's combined arms tactical trainer to prepare to deploy to Afghanistan Paderborn's local government said efforts to convert the Sennelager Training Area into a national park “would be put on hold” There are currently around 4,000 British military personnel living and working in Germany A press release from the local government explained that 600 to 700 Britons will continue to live in Sennelager and operate at Normandy and Athlone Barracks - a number that would account for the families of around 200 personnel The press release says: "About 600 to 700 Britons will continue to live in Sennelager." Paderborn's District Administrator Manfred Müller and Mayor Michael Dreier said they had been informed by Commander of the British Armed Forces in Germany Mayor Michael Dreier said: "This is very good news for Paderborn especially for Schloss Neuhaus and Sennelager this decision is also a good day for the Bundeswehr site in Augustdorf." An Army spokesperson said: "The British Army is committed to supporting critical NATO assets in Germany including a combined river crossing capability and facilities to allow for joint training "There is a requirement to enhance support to NATO and to strengthen ties with our European allies "We are committing to a combined river crossing capability with the German Army (Bundeswehr) known as the M3 wide-wet gap crossing capability and associated shared facilities in Minden "We will also use the Training Area at Sennelager and supporting infrastructure in Germany to enable live fire training by UK and NATO forces." 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