Germany's Rheinmetall to provide Ukraine with 25 Leopard 1 tanks.

German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall will supply Ukraine with 25 main battle tanks Leopard 1A5 as part of an order financed by the German government, the company announced on Nov.

14. The order consists of a total of 32 Leopard 1 systems, including, apart from the Leopard tanks, five Bergepanzer 2 armored recovery vehicles, and two driver training tanks. Rheinmetall will also reportedly provide Ukraine with training, logistics, spare parts, maintenance, and other support services as part of the contract.

The Leopard tanks, due to be delivered in 2024, are currently being repaired and readied for use at Rheinmetall facilities, reads the announcement. The company wrote that it would also send Ukraine 14 Leopard 2A4 tanks next year on behalf of the Dutch and Danish governments and five Caracal airmobile-capable vehicles in late 2023-early 2024. The German government announced on Nov.

13 that it had delivered over 10 Leopard 1 A5 tanks, among other defense assistance, in its latest aid package to Ukraine. The new deliveries brought the total number of Leopard 1 tanks Ukraine has received from the German government to 30. Germany is the world's second-biggest provider of military aid to Ukraine after the United States.

Southern counteroffensive runs out of steam as West scrambles to deliver aid

As fall weather arrives, observers are looking at the status of Ukraine's three-pronged counteroffensive, which continues to move very slowly.

Ukrainian forces have yet to fully break through Russia's defensive lines and fight to their target cities -- Tokmak, Berdiansk, and Vasylivka.

Their tempo i...