The German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall could not supply Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks until 2024 at the earliest, the time to repair them if the government in Berlin decides to deliver them to Kyiv, the head of the group warns this Sunday in the columns of the Picture . The federal government announced in early January that it would deliver around 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine in the first quarter to combat invading Russian forces, but still appears reluctant to deliver heavy tanks, even though Economy Minister Robert Habeck said last weekend , this option “not ruled out”.
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Repairing the Leopard tanks that Rheinmetall has in stock would cost several hundred million euros, and the group will not be able to start this work until the order is confirmed, Armin Papperger, the company’s CEO, told Deutsche Zeitung . “Vehicles have to be completely dismantled and rebuilt,” he explains. France, Poland and the United Kingdom have announced the supply of tanks to Ukraine in recent days, marking a new step in Western military support for Kyiv.