Background:
Western governments have so far been reluctant to send armoured military equipment to the Ukrainian army. Thus, its offensive capabilities needed to dislodge the Russian occupiers from Ukrainian territory have so far been able to rely only on the supply of Soviet-type armoured vehicles from NATO Eastern Wing countries. However, after almost 8 months of war, a large part of the supply of this type of equipment is exhausted or cannot be spare by these countries because they have nothing to replace it with to keep their armies combat capable.
However, the mood in the countries of Western Europe is gradually changing and countries are becoming more willing to supply Ukraine with armoured military equipment, including the German government. The latter has long conditioned the delivery of this type of equipment, specifically German-made Leopard tanks, on the fact that it should be a joint move by several countries. Leopard 2 tanks are currently in use in 13 countries of the European Union, with a total of more than 2 000 units in several different variants and in various states of readiness.
How can the Czech Republic contribute to solving the problem?
The government of the Czech Republic should advocate at the EU level, specifically in the Foreign Affairs Council, the creation of a joint consortium of countries with Leopard 2 tanks. The more countries that decide to supply Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks, the easier it will be to share the cost of delivery and the fewer tanks each country will have to supply in total.
If these countries continue to refuse to send Leopards to Ukraine, they could donate these tanks to NATO countries with Soviet-style armoured vehicles. These countries could then provide Ukraine with the remaining Soviet-style equipment they currently need to maintain the combat capability of their own armies.
