Canada sent the first of its promised Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine on Saturday, Defense Minister Anita Anand announced.
A Canadian Air Force plane “took off from Halifax with the first Leopard 2 war tank that we are going to donate to Ukraine,” the minister said in a post on the social network Twitter.
“Canada stands in solidarity with Ukraine and we will continue to provide the Ukrainian Armed Forces with the equipment they need to win,” the minister added.
“The war tanks are on their way to help Ukraine. The first Canadian Leopard 2 has already left. Canada’s support for Ukraine is unwavering,” the minister said in another post on Twitter, accompanied by a video showing the loading of the tank. tank and the exit of the plane.
Canada announced in late January the decision to deliver four German-built Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, one day after a similar announcement by several Western countries.
Prime Minister António Costa assured on Saturday that Portugal will also deliver Leopard 2 tanks to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, adding that a logistical operation with Germany to recover some tanks is currently underway.
The Russian military offensive on Ukrainian territory, launched on February 24 last year, plunged Europe into what is considered the most serious security crisis since World War II (1939-1945).
Source: TSF
