Germany's Scholz to Unveil Ukraine Tank Plan to Parliament

BERLIN (AP) After weeks of hesitation that saw growing impatience among Germany's allies, Chancellor Olaf Scholz was expected to announce Wednesday that his government will approve supplying German-made battle tanks to Ukraine.

The long-awaited decision came after U.S. officials said a preliminary agreement had been struck for the United States to send M1 Abrams tanks to help Kyiv push back Russian forces entrenched in the east almost a year since the start of the war.

Scholz had insisted that any move to provide Ukraine with powerful Leopard 2 tanks would need to be closely coordinated with Germany's allies, chiefly the United States. By getting Washington to commit some of its own tanks Berlin hopes to spread the risk of any backlash from Russia.

Members of Scholz's three-party coalition government welcomed the news ahead of the official announcement, expected in a speech to parliament early afternoon.