Germany, Portugal and the UK send tanks to Ukraine
(DW) The German government confirmed on Monday (March 27) the shipment of 18 Leopard 2 A6-type armored battle tanks, including ammunition and spare parts, to Ukraine.
The information had been anticipated by the German press and was later confirmed by the Federal Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, during a visit to Rotterdam, in the Netherlands.
The German Defense Ministry in Berlin added that the armaments, along with two Büffel recovery armored vehicles, have already arrived in Ukraine, and recalled that some 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles have also been delivered and are already in the Eastern European country.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius pointed out that four more Leopard 2 tanks have been sent than originally planned.
Delivery by Portugal
The Portuguese Ministry of Defense disclosed, also on Monday, that another three Leopard 2 A6 armored tanks donated by Portugal to the Kiev forces are already in Ukraine.
Ukrainian soldiers received training in German military bases to handle the Leopard 2 heavy combat tanks.
According to Pistorius, the next step is to send Leopard 1 A5 tanks, which are still being prepared by German industry. They are jointly financed with Denmark and the Netherlands. The goal is to deliver 25 of these tanks by the European summer and to raise the number to 80 by the end of the year and to at least 100 by 2024.
Challenger 2 have already arrived
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov announced on Monday that the first British Challenger 2 tanks have also arrived in Ukraine.
Reznikov detailed that “British Challenger, American Stryker and Cougar, and German Marder” had been added to Ukrainian units.
For a long time Ukraine has requested modern combat tanks from Western countries. They could come into use in a spring offensive to be launched in the coming weeks.
The German government announced in late January that it would send main battle tanks to Ukraine, after long hesitation and discussions in the governing coalition. The initial plan was to send Ukraine 14 vehicles, which, together with those sent by other European countries, would form two Leopard 2 battalions, each with 31 armored personnel carriers. But difficulties in delivery by other countries led Germany to raise its contribution from 14 to 18 tanks.
The Marder are infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) used for transporting soldiers and for supporting fire. The Leopard 2 and Challenger 2 are from another category, the Main Battle Tanks (MBT), also known as battle tanks, with heavy armament and armor. The Leopard 2 is usually used in combination with the Marder.