Chancellor Olaf Scholz introduced within the Cupboard on Wednesday that Germany will proceed to extend navy assist for Ukraine. The Federal authorities has determined to offer the Ukrainian armed forces with Leopard 2 major battle tanks. That is the results of intensive consultations that befell with Germany’s closest European and worldwide companions. This resolution follows our well-known line of supporting Ukraine to the perfect of the Federal authorities skill. The Federal authorities are appearing in a carefully coordinated method internationally. The purpose is to shortly assemble two tank battalions with Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine.
As a primary step, Germany will present an organization with 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks from Bundeswehr shares. Different European companions may even hand over Leopard-2 tanks. Germany will subject the suitable switch permits to companion international locations that need to shortly ship Leopard 2 tanks from their shares to Ukraine. The coaching of the Ukrainian crews is to start shortly in Germany. Along with coaching, the package deal may even embrace logistics, ammunition and system upkeep. Western nations have promised to ship extra navy equipment to assist Ukraine in opposition to Russia’s invasion. Poland particularly has been placing stress on Germany to ship Leopard tanks to Ukraine.
Commercial
Twelve European international locations have agreed to provide Ukraine with round 100 Leopard 2 tanks if the German authorities provides its consent. Poland and Finland have already indicated publicly that they’re prepared to offer a lot of their Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. These agreements, had been made at Friday’s summit at Ramstein US Air Power Base in Germany when allied nations mentioned navy assist for Ukraine. Spain, Denmark and the Netherlands had been additionally prepared to offer a few of their tanks. Because the nation the place the navy {hardware} is manufactured, Germany has to approve the export license if international locations need to provide a few of their tanks to a 3rd nation, akin to Ukraine.
The Leopard 2 is a third era major battle tank initially developed by Krauss-Maffei within the Seventies for the West German military. The tank entered service in 1979 and succeeded the sooner Leopard 1 major battle tank. It’s armed with a 120 mm smoothbore cannon made by Rheinmetall, and is powered by a V-12 twin-turbo diesel engine made by MTU Friedrichshafen. Varied variations have served within the armed forces of Germany and 13 different European international locations, in addition to a number of non-European nations, together with Canada, Chile, Indonesia, and Singapore. The Leopard 2 was utilized in Kosovo with the German Military, in Afghanistan with the Dutch, Danish and Canadian.