The New York TimesThe New York Times

Scrounging for tanks for Ukraine, Europe's armies come up short

By Erika Solomon, Steven Erlanger and Christopher F. Schuetze

28 Feb 2023 · 7 min read

Editor's Note

European nations promised Ukraine tanks. But when it came time to deliver, they found that many tanks in their armory don’t actually work. The NYT reports on Europe's lack of preparedness for war.

BERLIN — Nearly a month after Berlin gave European allies permission to send German-made tanks to Ukraine, the flow of tanks so many leaders vowed would follow seems more like a trickle.

Some nations have discovered that the tanks in their armory don’t actually work or lack spare parts. Political leaders have encountered unanticipated resistance within their own coalitions, and even from their defense ministries. And some armies had to pull trainers out of retirement to teach Ukrainian soldiers how to use old-model tanks.

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