BREAKING

Leopard 2 tanks to be delivered to Ukraine by April: German MoD

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News agencies
8 Feb 2023 20:41

German Ministry of Defense says Ukraine will receive the first battalion of Leopard 2 battle tanks.

German-made Leopard 2 Main Battle Tank

By April, Ukraine's Westerner allies will deliver the first battalion of Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced during a visit to the Polish capital on Wednesday.

"We could deliver at least one battalion in the first four months of this year - three months maybe - and then we need to proceed as fast as possible of course," Pistorius said, noting that a battalion would consist of about 31 tanks.

Almost a year after the war in Ukraine, Poland, and Germany were united in their commitment to assist Ukraine in fighting Russia, Pistorius said, adding that the two nations had agreed to meet other parties willing to supply Leopard 2 tanks next week.

Germany announced last month that it will deliver contemporary Leopard 2 battle tanks from army inventories in response to Ukraine's persistent requests and increasing pressure from some Western partners.

Additionally, Germany will pool funds from Denmark and the Netherlands to repair at least 100 outdated Leopard 1 tanks for Ukraine.

On January 25, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz issued the announcement that Berlin would supply Kiev with 14 Leopard 2 battle tanks as part of a European coalition.

On February 3, Berlin voted to approve private arms maker Rheinmetall’s plan to deliver 88 Leopard 1s to Ukraine after maintenance work is completed.

Last week, on February 5, German cabinet spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said that the government had approved exports of around 160 Leopard I tanks to Ukraine.

Earlier this week, on February 7, the German government approved supplying Ukraine with 187 Leopard 1 tanks. The majority of the tanks are scheduled to arrive in Ukraine by 2024 however, some of them will arrive this summer.

Over the past months, Kiev has been pressuring the West to supply it with hundreds of tanks, saying it needs to be prepared in the advent of a potential Russian counter-offensive due this Spring.

The Spanish government announced Wednesday that it had plans to send up to 6 Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine, while discussing plans with the country's military industry.