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Germany has fulfilled its commitment to send Leopard-2 tanks to Ukraine to aid its war efforts. Following the announcement on February 24, the German Defence Ministry successfully delivered 18 Leopard-2 main combat tanks to Ukraine.
Germany has delivered the 18 Leopard 2 battle tanks it promised to Ukraine to help it fight Russia. These German tanks’ arrival gives Kyiv a symbolic and tactical boost as it fights against Russian forces.
According to the German defense ministry, 18 cutting-edge Leopard 2A6 battle vehicles arrived in Ukraine on Monday. In addition to tanks, 40 German Marder infantry fighting vehicles and two armored recovery vehicles had also arrived in Ukraine.
Boris Pistorius, Germany’s defense minister, assured the Ukrainians that they could rely on them and that the tanks would “make a major contribution on the front line.” Recently, the German army spent several weeks at Muenster and Bergen in northern Germany, training the Ukrainian tank crews and the soldiers tasked with piloting the Marder vehicles.
Germany is at the forefront of helping Ukraine with Leopard tanks
For months, Kyiv has demanded more advanced vehicles and weaponry to defend against the Russian invasion. However, Germany’s stance on delivering heavy weapons was initially ambiguous. It seemed Germany would take a multilateral strategy to arm the Ukrainian army instead of acting unilaterally.
As pressure from around the world grew, Olaf Scholz, the chancellor of Germany, agreed to a deal with the US that would give Leopard-2 tanks made in Germany to the Ukrainian military.
Due to the German-US accord, Berlin’s Leopard 2 announcement coincided with Scholz and US President Joseph Biden announcing a deal to deliver US-made Abrams tanks. Although American officials have since said that their Abrams are unlikely to reach Ukraine before late 2024 or early 2024, this eased German concerns about acting alone and worsening the conflict.
Have a look at this video: Germany delivers 18 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine | DW News
Ukraine to get more Leopard tanks from other nations
Many allies are already rising to the occasion and presenting several Leopard-2 tank versions from their inventories. Poland was the first nation to provide the first shipment of Leopard-2 tanks to Kyiv. On the first anniversary of Ukrainian resistance, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki visited Ukraine and declared that the first four of the fourteen Leopard-2 tanks his nation had pledged were now there.
Canada had earlier agreed to send four Leopard-2A4 tanks from its stockpile to Ukraine. Moreover, it has increased its commitment twofold and promised four more tanks. Canada will now contribute eight Leopard-2 tanks to help Ukraine defend itself.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Defence Minister Pal Jonson announced Stockholm’s plan to send up to 10 Leopard 2A5 tanks on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also declared that Spain would provide 10 Leopard-2 tanks to Ukraine.
Finland also delivered three Leopard-2 tanks to Ukraine. Norway also pledged to send eight vehicles and four “special purpose tanks” to help Kyiv.
The importance of Leopard tanks for Ukraine
Leopard-2 is a German-made main combat tank with a 500km maximum range and a top speed of 68 km/h. It has two coaxial light machine guns in addition to its main armament, a 120mm smoothbore gun.
The Leopard-2 tank is used throughout Europe, including Germany and several other countries. According to Ukrainian officials, Leopard-2 tanks are significantly superior to the Soviet-era vehicles they had been using, which had a high attrition rate and a shortage of ammunition and replacement parts.
In addition to repeating its opinion that Moscow wants to conduct a heavy military assault in the upcoming months, Kyiv and many of its allies think the war will conclude more quickly if Russia is routed on the battlefield during Ukraine’s counter-offensives to retake Russian-occupied territory.
