Ukraine humorously asks for Leclerc tanks from France

“Western nations have become philosophers to know what a “tank” is and what is not. We, of course“This Thursday on Twitter, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine wrote together with a funny video these are some enigmatic words. To understand this, we need to go back to Yelysey’s announcement on January 4 about sending him to Ukraine.light tanks” French language.

These are the old AMX-10 RC, reconnaissance and combat armored vehicles that entered service in 1981 and will soon be replaced by the new Jaguar in the French armies. They certainly have a particularly powerful 105-millimeter gun, but look, the AMX-10 RC is mounted on six wheels, not on rails – hence the name RV.ball wheels“. This was enough to start a Byzantine debate: can we really talk about tanks, even light tanks?

For Ukrainians, the answer doesn’t matter. Having an AMX-10 RC is a good thing, whatever their name, and they’d especially like to have a French battle tank called the Leclerc, where there’s no semantic debate.

This is the subject of a video by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, in which we see a 55-ton tank moving through Paris with a song playing in the background.Beautiful, beautiful, beautifulby Claude Francois. And a few feel-good answers:Still worried? [soupir] As for tanks, I’m interested in what they are, not what they are“. Existentialist Declaration Signed”Jean Paul Sartre“picture. Sim is big, but we’ll smile.

The central question at the Ramstein meeting

Then comes the commercial. “Discover the new “super mini” Leclerc. Compact. Jock. Parking is easy.A tank is seen climbing atop a heavy truck along the Champs-Elysées. “Because it’s not the size that matters, it’s how you use it“, laughs the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. The request is hardly philosophical, but the message gets through: Ukraine wants tanks, and Kyiv expects a new offensive from Russia, backed by the mobilization of 300,000 men, and wants to have enough heavy weapons to restart the counteroffensive operation. after the summer successes.

Poland has already announced its desire to supply German-made Leopard tanks, and the British will send some of their Challenger tanks. But so far nothing massive. The Americans are reluctant to send their Abrams at this point. All eyes are on Germany, which as the manufacturer of the Leopard holds the key to decide whether to send these tanks into service in a significant manner in many European countries, numbering around 2,000 across the Old Continent. Demand for Leclerc is slimmer, as there are only about 200 operations in France and stocks are scarce.

Read alsoWar in Ukraine: Kyiv hopes for tactical advantage with heavy tanks

With a humorous video, Kiev is reminding its priorities when the defense ministers of Kiev’s allies meet this Friday at the American base in Ramstein, Germany. The issue of tanks will be central there.

Already, the Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, mentioned the Leclercs uninvited during an intervention in the Senate on Tuesday. “For the Leclerc tanks, the President of the Republic asked us, the Chief of General Staff and myself, to examine this request of Ukraine, subject to the analysis of three criteria.“The minister explained the following three imperatives for the supply of weapons in Kiev: “defensive logic in climbing mastery» the fact “not to undermine our security and defense model» “maintenance in operational condition» materials. “The issue of Leclerc tanks is particularly central and sensitiveon this last point, Sébastien Lecornu implied the logistical difficulties such an option would represent. Despite the Ukrainian humor at this stage, the dispatch of Leclerc is not for tomorrow.

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