March 28, 2023 at 01:14 CET
Updated 36 minutes ago
Image source, Getty Images
picture description,
A Leopard 2 tank
The first shipment of Leopard 2 tanks from Germany has been sent to Ukraine, the German Defense Ministry said.
Eighteen state-of-the-art main battle tanks were delivered after training Ukrainian crews to use them.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said he was certain the tanks “could make a vital contribution” to the front lines of the war.
According to reports from Ukraine, Challenger 2 tanks have also arrived from Great Britain.
Ukraine has been demanding more modern vehicles and weapons systems for months to combat the Russian invasion.
The Ukrainian government has yet to comment on the arrival of the Leopard 2, but has confirmed the arrival of the first British-made Challenger 2 tanks.
Around 2,000 Leopard 2s, widely regarded as one of NATO’s best main battle tanks, are in service in European countries.
Germany pledged to supply the tanks to Ukraine in January after initially hesitating – or even allowing other countries to send their own.
Under German law, Berlin must authorize the re-export of Leopard 2 by any country.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the tanks “got into the hands of our Ukrainian friends on time, as promised”.
In the past few weeks, the Bundeswehr has trained Ukrainian tank crews in how to use the advanced A6 variant of the Leopard 2.
They were specifically designed to compete with the Russian T-90 main battle tank and are considered to be easier to maintain and more economical than most other Western tanks.
In addition to the Leopard 2, Germany has sent two specialized armored recovery vehicles and 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine.
Challenger 2 tanks from the UK “are already in Ukraine,” Defense Ministry spokeswoman Iryna Zolotar told AFP.
Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov posted a picture of a Challenger 2 alongside other western-made military vehicles on his Facebook page, describing the British vehicle as a piece of military art.
The British Ministry of Defense declined to comment but previously confirmed that UK-trained Ukrainian tank crews had returned home with the tanks after completing their training.