German Leopard tanks will be delivered to Ukraine in a year
2023.01.15 07:58
German Leopard tanks will be delivered to Ukraine in a year
Budrigannews.com – The chief executive of German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall was quoted as saying by Bild newspaper on Sunday that the company could only deliver repaired Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine by 2024 at the earliest.
In order to assist Ukraine in repelling Russian forces, Germany announced earlier this month that it would provide it with Marder infantry fighting vehicles. However, Kyiv has also requested heavier vehicles like Leopards, which would increase Western support for Ukraine significantly.
According to Papperger, the company could not begin repairing the tanks it has on hand until the order was confirmed, which would cost several hundred million euros.
He added, “The vehicles must be completely disassembled and rebuilt.”
Germany has overcome a taboo rooted in its bloody 20th-century history of sending weapons to conflict zones to become one of Ukraine’s top military supporters in response to Russia’s invasion last year.
Still, critics claim that the ruling SPD and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz are too slow, waiting for allies to act first rather than taking on Ukraine’s responsibility as the Western power closest to it.
In the beginning of this month, Economy Minister Robert Habeck stated that the delivery of heavier Leopard tanks could not be “ruled out.”
