Germany announced this Wednesday that it would send 14 Leopard 2 armored vehicles to Ukraine by the end of March, at a time when NATO allies look to collect the tanks promised to Kiev.
At the end of January, Berlin pledged to provide Ukraine with about 30 Leopard 2 battle tanks along with other countries to help Kiev against the Russian offensive that began almost a year ago. However, Germany’s Defense Ministry made it clear this Wednesday that Berlin will be able to deliver 14 Leopard 2 A6s, in addition to the three announced by Portugal, to arrive in Ukraine by the end of March.
Spain will also participate in the donation of Leopard 2, in the A4 version, but the Spanish Defense Minister, Margarita Robles, promised to announce the exact number of armored cars that will be delivered to the Ukrainian armed forces before later.
In turn, Poland (a country bordering Ukraine) has pledged to supply a battalion of older Leopard 2 tanks, not committing to a delivery date for now.
Polish President Andrzej Duda was in Brussels this Wednesday for a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, but did not provide any information on the matter. Within NATO, The Netherlands is also expected to provide 14 Leopard 2 tanks, German-made vehicles, but the units are not yet ready to be shipped to Ukrainereported Berlin.
On Tuesday, Norway announced the delivery of eight Leopard 2s and four support vehicles, but also without specifying the delivery date.
In addition to these units Ukraine should receive at least 100 Leopard 1 A5 tanks in the coming monthsrestored old models, the defense ministers of Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark announced in early February.
Switzerland, for its part, continues to reject the possibility of delivering part of its Leopard 2 fleet, invoking its neutrality condition. German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said today that he does not understand the attitude of the Swiss authorities.
“Some countries have ammunition, but for historical reasons are hesitant to hand it over to Ukraine. (…) We are negotiating in Switzerland and I must say clearly that I do not understand Switzerland’s position”defended Habeck.
German-made Leopard tanks in their various models are used by a dozen armies of NATO countries.
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: DN
