Defence Minister Anand meets with dozens of allies in Germany regarding military aid to Ukraine

Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand met with dozens of allies at the United States’ Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Friday regarding military aid to Ukraine amid the war with Russia.

According to media reports, the topic of whether the allies will send heavy tanks to Ukraine was scheduled to be heavily debated in the meeting. The topic of tanks has been a continued subject of debate with the allies as Germany faces pressure to not only send its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, but allow other countries who possess the tanks to do the same.

It may be pertinent to note that back in 2007, the Canadian Armed Forces acquired 112 Leopard 2s from Germany during the peak of the Afghanistan war.

Tweeting about the meeting, Defence Minister Anand stated, “Started off the day here at  @RamsteinAirBaseby meeting with counterparts from our close Allies – including the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and Iceland. Also touched base with  @JensStoltenberg, and thanked my friend @OleksiiReznikov for hosting me in Kyiv earlier this week.”

Started off the day here at @RamsteinAirBase by meeting with counterparts from our close Allies – including the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and Iceland. Also touched base with @JensStoltenberg, and thanked my friend @OleksiiReznikov for hosting me in Kyiv earlier this week. pic.twitter.com/yAdtpzZ8mO

— Anita Anand (@AnitaAnandMP) January 20, 2023

The Defence Minister, on Wednesday, announced that Canada would be sending 200 Canadian-made armoured personnel carriers to Ukraine while on a surprise visit to Kyiv.

“I just concluded a productive visit to Kyiv where I met with Ukrainian people, their brave soldiers, and alongside @oleksiireznikov, I announced that Canada will send 200 more Canadian-made Roshel Armored vehicles,” Minister Anand stated on Wednesday.

I just concluded a productive visit to Kyiv where I met with Ukrainian people, their brave soldiers, and alongside @oleksiireznikov, I announced that Canada will send 200 more Canadian-made Roshel Armored vehicles. pic.twitter.com/vwzeKDsSbk

— Anita Anand (@AnitaAnandMP) January 18, 2023

On Friday, Germany’s Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius, when asked about the nation’s plans to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, stated, “There are good reasons for the deliveries and there are good reasons against, and in view of the entire situation of a war that has been ongoing for almost one year, all pros and cons must be weighed very carefully.”