According to the representatives of the German government, the goal is to quickly establish two battalions with Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine, The Guardian reports.
Steffen Hebestreit added that Germany would in a first step provide 14 Leopard 2 tanks from military stocks. Training of Ukrainian troops in Germany will begin soon, and Germany will also provide logistics and ammunition.
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Chancellor Olaf Scholz has just addressed the German parliament on the issue too.
In his statement Olaf Scholz said that the decision to supply Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine “follows our well-known line of supporting Ukraine to the best of our ability”.
Berlin is “acting in a closely coordinated manner internationally”, the statement said.
Olaf Scholz repited that the goal was to quickly establish two battalions with Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine, adding Germany would in a first step provide 14 Leopard 2 tanks from military stocks.
Germany will issue the appropriate transfer permits to partner countries that want to quickly deliver Leopard 2 tanks from their stocks to Ukraine, the statment said.
As the Guardian reports, the Leopard 2 is a German-manufactured main battle tank with a range of about 500km (311 miles). It first came into service in 1979 and has a top speed of 68km/h (42mph). Equipped with a 120mm smooth bore gun as its main armament, it is also armed with two coaxial light machine guns.
As well as being used by the German military, Leopard 2 has been in wide service in Europe, with more than a dozen countries using the tank, as well as a number of other countries including Canada. The tanks have been deployed in Kosovo, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Syria (by Turkey) where several were lost to anti-tank missiles.
Find more details on the issue here.
Defense Express reported earlier How Long Will it Take to Train Ukrainian Tankers to Use German Leopard 2 Tanks.
Read more: The German Media Published Secret Data On the Number And Types of Tanks In the Bundeswehr
