Zelensky tells Davos he needs tanks now but Scholz still tight-lipped

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky turned up the heat on allies like Germany, urging them to swiftly send him battle tanks during an address to the business and political elite gathered in Davos.
Zelensky's appeal came shortly after the tight-lipped German chancellor said few words on the subject of tanks, after weeks of swirling questions about his stance.
"The time the free world uses to think is used by the terrorist state to kill," Zelensky said by video link from Kiev. "The supplies of Western tanks must outpace another invasion of Russian tanks."
Foreign capitals have repeatedly shown themselves too "hesitant" to act to confront Russia, even if they eventually make the right call, he said.
Zelensky did not mention Germany or Chancellor Olaf Scholz by name, but he didn't have to.
A big question hanging over this edition of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort of Davos has been whether Scholz will drop his resistance to sending the modern, German-manufactured Leopard 2 tanks.
Scholz delivered the familiar refrain that Berlin will support Ukraine "for as long as necessary."
"We are continuously supplying Ukraine with large quantities of arms, in close consultation with our partners," including artillery, air defence systems and armoured vehicles, Scholz said on stage.
He described the decision to send those weapons as "a profound turning point in German foreign and security policy."
But Scholz - despite criticism not just from Kiev but also NATO allies and members of his own coalition - has so far held out against the growing chorus of people urging him to send German-built Leopard 2 tanks.
At a brief question-and-answer session following his 25-minute speech, Scholz was pressed by an attendee about the Leopards: "Why hesitate and why wait?"
Scholz responded that Germany was among Kiev's allies "doing the most."
He said Berlin would only make major weapons decisions with its "friends and partners," namely the United States.
But fellow NATO members Britain and Poland recently announced they would deliver heavy battle tanks, which threw the spotlight back on Berlin.
There were signs that a decision could be imminent, however. US President Joe Biden and Scholz spoke by phone on Tuesday about support for Ukraine, the White House said.
Berlin has suggested that if Washington were to send similar combat vehicles, it could clear the way for the Leopards to be sent.
Beyond Davos, all eyes were looking ahead to Friday's meeting of Ukraine's allies at the United States' Ramstein Air Base in south-western Germany.
In addition to the possibility of Germany gifting Leopard 2 tanks to Kiev, Berlin is also being urged to provide the necessary approval for other countries to export their own German-made tanks.
Zelensky's address to Davos this year came as his government reeled from the crash of a helicopter near Kiev on Wednesday that killed more than a dozen people, including Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky and his deputy.
Zelensky asked the audience to observe a moment of silence. His wife, First Lady Olena Zelenska, was among those in the crowd. She has urged political and business leaders at Davos to wield their "influence" in support of Ukraine.
The bulk of Scholz's earlier speech centred on Germany's transition toward climate neutrality by 2045. He made the pitch to the hundreds of CEOs at Davos that Germany would remain an "industrial powerhouse" even as it goes green.
Scholz said that Russia's war on Ukraine has forced his government to more rapidly commit to renewable energy.
After long being reliant on Russian fossil fuels, Scholz outlined Germany's effort to make itself completely independent of Russian oil, gas and coal, including finding new energy partners and building up liquefied natural gas infrastructure.