Czech army to get 14 Leopard tanks from Germany for helping Ukraine
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Germany will provide the Czech army with 14 additional Leopard 2A4 battle tanks and one Buffel 3 armored recovery vehicle by 2026.
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A Leopard 2 tank is seen in action during a visit of German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius at the Bundeswehr tank battalion 203 at the Field Marshal Rommel Barracks in Augustdorf, Germany on February 1, 2023. (AP)
According to the Czech Defense Ministry on Wednesday, Germany will provide the Czech army with 14 additional Leopard 2A4 battle tanks and one Buffel 3 armored recovery vehicle by 2026 as part of its active military support to Ukraine.
"The Czech army will receive 14 more Leopard 2A4 battle tanks and one repair and a Buffel 3 recovery vehicle, made on the basis of the Leopard 2A4 tank as a gift from Germany," according to a statement released by the ministry.
Germany sent the Czech Republic a prior similar shipment in 2022-2023. According to the announcement, the Czech Armed Forces will have 28 Leopard 2A4 combat tanks and two repair and recovery vehicles.
The ministry added that "The new batch of combat vehicles will be handed over to the Czech Republic by the beginning of 2026. "
Ukraine needs to continue advancing reforms required for its European Union accession in order to secure additional financial aid from Brussels, EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi said on Monday.
"To fully comply with all membership criteria, Ukraine must remain committed to this process and continue its reforms, and here I want to underline the key role that the rule of law fundamentals play," Varhelyi said in Budapest, adding, "Enlargement is and remains a merit-based process."
The European Commission plans to increase its financial support for Ukraine, providing the country with up to 50 billion euros ($54.2 billion) in loans backed by frozen Russian state assets from 2024-2027, the Hungarian diplomat said in a conference on the State of Play of the Western Balkan and Eastern Enlargements of the European Union.
"Two weeks ago, on July 17, the Commission made a positive assessment to release the first regular installment under the Ukraine Facility, which was close to 4.2 billion euros. All in all, we plan to pay 16 billion euros to Ukraine's budget in 2024, subject to the country fulfilling the reform conditionalities," Varhelyi said.
UK, Germany consider developing long-range weapon to hit Russian nukes
The United Kingdom is considering developing long-range missiles with Germany, able to hit Russian nuclear weapons, The Times newspaper reported, citing diplomatic sources.
According to the sources, the UK is considering utilizing a 2,000-mile range weapon that could be fired from Berlin if Russia employs its tactical nuclear arsenal.
The plan was profusely discussed during new UK Defense Secretary John Healey's visit to Berlin earlier this week, which aimed to enhance cooperation within NATO as part of his "NATO-first" defense policy.
Reportedly, the missiles are set to be deployed in Germany and would substitute long-range US missiles, including the SM-6, Tomahawk, and developmental hypersonic missiles, which were supposed to be based in Berlin in 2026.
Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the United Kingdom cabinet, a move that demonstrates newly-elected Prime Minister Keir Starmer and London's support for Ukraine, as Zelensky asked Western allies for additional leeway on long-range capabilities.
Reportedly, Zelensky reiterated a call for Western allies to allow long-range strikes deep into Russian territories and asked the UK to influence its allies to adjust their policy on the matter.
