Ukraine to receive dozens of Leopard 1A5 tanks "in next few weeks" – German Defence Minister
Boris Pistorius, Minister of Defence of Germany, has announced the supply of Leopard 1A5 combat tanks to Ukraine in cooperation with Denmark shortly.
Source: Pistorius in an interview for Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita, as reported by European Pravda
Asked whether Germany thinks it is taking too long to supply Ukraine with military aid, Pistorius stressed the historic nature of the decisions Berlin made after the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
"[This is] the first time Germany has supplied a country in a state of war with armaments! Germany provides Ukraine with the second largest amount of military assistance in terms of equipment supply, if we are talking about direct financial aid or aid within EU borders," he stated.
Pistorius also recalled Germany’s participation in the training of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and adopting the first National Security Strategy in the history of Germany.
"Dozens of Leopard 1A5 combat tanks provided by Germany and Denmark will arrive in Ukraine in the next few weeks," Pistorius announced.
Separately he mentioned the €2.7 billion military aid package for Ukraine, which consists mainly of IRIS-T SLM air defence systems.
Back in February, Germany and Denmark announced the supply of about a hundred Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine in an effort to help Ukraine counteract the Russian full-scale aggression.
According to unofficial information, the package will also include former Danish Leopard tanks withdrawn from service in 2010 and sold back to their German manufacturer Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft, where they remain in storage today.
Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
