Germany found itself under intense and growing pressure Sunday as the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz weighed whether to authorize the shipment of its coveted Leopard-2 tanks to Ukraine.
Top U.S., Ukrainian and European officials all urged Berlin to act after a meeting of nations supporting Kyiv in its 11-month war with Russia failed to nail down an agreement at a summit at the American military base in Ramstein, Germany, on Friday.
Ukraine says it needs some 300 Western tanks to bolster its forces against dug-in Russian troops in eastern and southern Ukraine, as both sides prepare for expected new offensives when the weather allows.