We are not able to replace every tank lost in Ukraine – German Defence Minister

Against the background of the latest reports about destroyed Leopard 2 tanks in Ukraine, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has promised to supply more of these tanks.

Source: Pistorius on RTL Direkt on Monday evening, as reported by European Pravda, referring to ntv

Quote: "We will not be able to replace every tank that is now out of service. But what we are doing (...) is that we will continue to supply more refurbished Leopard 1 A5 tanks from July onward. And there will be over 100 [tanks – ed.] by the end of the year," he said.

Details: Although Pistorius did not confirm the authenticity of the photos allegedly showing Leopard 2 tanks destroyed by Russia, he acknowledged, "Unfortunately, the nature of war is that weapons are destroyed, tanks are destroyed and people are killed. That's why our support for Ukraine is so important".

At the same time, Pistorius rejected calls for the supply of German Eurofighter Typhoon fighters to Ukraine, "At the moment, this is not an issue because Ukraine primarily needs F-16 fighters".

In addition, Pistorius said that the Bundeswehr depends on the Eurofighter to ensure its own defence capability.

"In the end, many different systems also do not help Ukraine because behind each aircraft there has to be special training, special logistics and special repairs," he noted.

Background: As reported, in view of the initial losses during the counteroffensive, Andrii Melnyk, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, has asked for more German-made tanks. 

In his opinion, the Bundeswehr is capable of providing more than the 18 already delivered pieces from its stockpile of more than 300. The current number could be "tripled without jeopardising Germany's ability to defend itself".

Melnyk also asked for "another 60 Marder infantry fighting vehicles" to be supplied to the Ukrainian army.

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