Germany officially announces the delivery of 178 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine

The delivery of 178 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine was confirmed by the German Ministry of Defence.

The German government has finally agreed on the decision to supply Ukraine with 178 Leopard 1A5 tanks. As confirmed in a statement on the website of the German Ministry of Defence, the government approved the delivery last week, but it was necessary to complete the formal stages of approval.

Licenses have been issued by the German Ministry of Economy and Climate Protection to German companies, allowing them to export up to 178 obsolete tanks. The actual number of tanks that Ukraine will receive depends on the results of tank repairs, the report said.

Financing, repair of the Leopards, and training of the Ukrainian military in the use of tanks will be carried out in coordination with the European partners of Germany.

Another message from the German military department referred to an agreement under which Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands, should jointly send Ukraine at least 100 repaired Leopard 1A5 battle tanks.

They are currently in the stocks of the German defence industry.

Germany’s new Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius, flew to Kyiv today. During his visit, he said that he had agreed with several countries to supply an additional 20-25 Leopard 1A5 tanks by the summer and that up to 80 tanks are expected to be sent by the end of the year. By 2024, it is planned to deliver more than 100 tanks, the minister noted.

Earlier today, Business Insider reported that Rheinmetall will send 88 Leopard 1 tanks to Kyiv, and the FFG another 99. Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger said that the concern plans to supply Ukraine with 20 to 25 Leopard 1 tanks by the end of 2023.

The rest of the 88, Mr Papperger added, will be shipped in 2024. According to a Sueddeutsche Zeitung source, Rheinmetall and FFG are ready to repair dozens of Leopard 1 tanks if Ukraine agrees to buy them for €100 million.

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