First Leopard 1A5 to arrive in Ukraine in July
3 July, 2023 Ukrainian military personnel during training on Leopard 1 tanks in Germany, May 5, 2023. Photo credits: Reuters The first batch of Leopard 1A5 tanks will be delivered to Ukraine in the coming weeks.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced this. Answering the question of whether Germany delayed military aid to Ukraine, Pistorius emphasized the historic nature of the decisions that Berlin made after the full-scale Russian invasion. "The first supply of weapons by Germany to a belligerent state!
Germany provides Ukraine with the second largest military aid in terms of equipment supply, if we talk about direct financial aid or aid within the EU," he noted. The German Defense Minister also recalled Germany's participation in the training of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the adoption of the first National Security Strategy in the country's history.
Boris Pistorius, Minister of Defense of the Federal Republic of Germany. Photo: Ministry of Defense of Germany
"Dozens of Leopard 1A5 battle tanks provided by Germany and Denmark will arrive in Ukraine in the coming weeks," Pistorius announced.
In particular, he mentioned the EUR2.7 billion military aid package to Ukraine, which includes IRIS-T SLM air defense systems. Previously, back in February, Germany and Denmark announced the provision of dozens of Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine to help counter Russian full-scale aggression. In general, Germany is preparing to deliver more than 100 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine by the end of this year.
Repaired Leopard 1A5 tanks will be handed over to the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
Leopard 1 tanks during the training of Ukrainian crews. June 2023. Germany.
Photo credits: Ministry of Defense of Denmark
Denmark was supposed to send 80 Leopard 1 tanks to the Ukrainian military. This regarded the supply of Leopard 1A5DK tanks after repairs to Ukraine. The Danish and German sides have allocated EUR3 million to repair and modernize these tanks.
The German concern Krauss-Maffei Wegmann started preparing Leopard 1A5 tanks for delivery to Ukraine at the beginning of February.