Israel appeared to be readying its expected ground invasion of the Gaza Strip early Friday, with a large border town evacuated and fleets of tanks lining up on the border where hundreds of thousands of soldiers are already camped out.

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On the menu today: We hear a great deal about the importance of working with our allies in foreign policy, but that happy rhetoric glides past the fact even our longstanding allies can often be real pains in the tuckus, dragging their feet on key decisions. The Ukrainian government says it needs more tanks to fight the war against the invading Russians. President Biden says Ukraine will get what it needs. But the German government wants the U.S.

After weeks of mounting pressure, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has announced that Germany would be sending Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine. The decision triggered a charged debate in the federal parliament, the Bundestag.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz confirmed on Wednesday that Germany would be delivering an initial 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks to Ukraine and allowing partner countries to re-export their own German-made heavy battle tanks to the country.

Germany has finally decided to send its coveted Leopard 2 battle tanks to the Ukrainian frontlines, German news magazine Der Spiegel first reported Tuesday, though a formal announcement has yet to be made. The about turn comes as U.S. officials revealed this week that the Biden administration also plans to shed its prior reluctance and begin to supply tanks to Ukraine.

America’s main battle tank may be facing off against Russian armor soon.

The Biden administration is seriously considering sending M1 Abrams tanks to the Ukrainian armed forces as part of a deal to break an impasse among Kyiv’s Western allies, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

The delivery of a “significant” number of M1s would be announced alongside a pledge by Germany and Poland to send their own German-made Leopard 2 tanks, the paper reported.

A formal announcement could come later this week.

The Biden administration is finalizing plans to send US-made Abrams tanks to Ukraine and could make an announcement as soon as this week, according to three US officials familiar with the deliberations.

The timing around the actual delivery of the tanks is still unclear and it normally takes several months to train troops to use the tanks effectively, officials said.

Not-yet-confirmed news reports from several outlets say Germany's government has decided to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine along with allies. This follows a fairly long-running debate.

German news magazine Der Spiegel and others published stories on Tuesday evening saying that the government in Berlin had decided to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. 

Germany’s government has signaled it will allow NATO allies to ship German battle tanks to Ukraine, despite warnings from Russia that the move could escalate the war. Over the weekend, Germany’s foreign minister said she would “not stand in the way” if Poland decided to send its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine without German approval. In Ukraine, there’s fresh fighting along frontlines in Zaporizhzhia, where Ukraine’s army said more than 15 settlements came under Russian artillery fire over the weekend, breaking months of stalemate in the region.

Ukraine has managed to rally the West once again to supply weapons, including Bradley fighting vehicles, self-propelled Howitzers, and more, a month ahead of the war’s one-year anniversary. Though there’s been an enthusiastic response from many nations, Germany is still holding out on supplying the Leopard 2A$ tank, which Ukraine says could be key for a spring offensive — and which is causing frustration for NATO allies.