Former military-political adviser to the ex-Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel, retired brigadier general Erich Wad spoke out against the supply of heavy weapons to Ukraine. Such supplies are potentially “the road to a third world war,” he said.
In addition, according to Wade, using complex weapons systems, such as a Leopard battle tank or a Marder infantry fighting vehicle, is possible only after many years of training. In his opinion, now and in the foreseeable future, Ukrainians do not need such equipment militarily.
Earlier, the German weapons manufacturer Rheinmetall said that ready to deliver used Leopard 1 battle tanks to Ukraine. According to company CEO Armin Papperger, the Ukrainian military can be trained to operate the Leopard 1 in a matter of days – contrary to claims that training takes a long time. A prerequisite, according to him, is that these are already trained military men.
“There is a lot of military rhetoric now. But as we all know, the road to hell is always paved with good intentions. We should think about ending the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. If we don’t want World War III, sooner or later we will have to get out of this logic military escalation and start negotiations,” he said.
Erich Wad on Putin
Speaking on the German n-tv network, security expert and military analyst Erich Wad warned against denying the humanity of Russian President Vladimir Putin and branding him as a pathological despot who can no longer be spoken to:
The terrible war in Ukraine is a violation of international law, but it is part of a chain of similar wars in recent times. Iraq, Syria, Libya, Afghanistan are no exception. In a war, innocent people always die. This is war. Unfortunately, this is built into the system.
On the war in Iraq in 2003
Erich Wad mentioned the 2003 Iraq War:
“Hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed in this war and during the occupation that followed. In comparison, Putin is no one special. So far, the so-called collateral losses in Ukraine have been much less than in Iraq or Afghanistan.”
When asked about Putin’s views on Ukraine and Crimea as part of Russia’s geopolitical sphere of influence, the German brigadier general referred to the American “Monroe Doctrine”:
“Now they say that this is an outdated view of the XIX century. But for Americans, the Monroe Doctrine still applies, stating that no foreign intervention on the American continent is unacceptable. And the Caribbean is certainly also in the US sphere of influence, even after the Cuban Missile Crisis.”
Evaluation of the course of the war
Wad believes the Russian president has given up on the idea of regime change he originally wanted to bring about in Ukraine following the extensive withdrawal of his troops from the Kiev region. “Therefore, the chances of negotiations are not so bad,” he said.
“Both sides could keep their image: the Ukrainians have shown how effectively they defended their capital Kyiv and, in addition, they are fighting successful defensive battles against a superior enemy. The Russians, in turn, made some territorial gains in the east and on the Black Sea coast. These are not the worst conditions for a ceasefire and the start of peace talks,” said former adviser Angela Merkel.
In the meantime, the first batch of T-72M tanks, which were located at the base for storing armored vehicles of the Polish ground forces in Lublin, has already been sent to Ukraine. In total, it is planned to transfer 100 tanks.
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