The campaign to transfer Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine was not as successful as originally thought. This was announced on Tuesday, February 14, by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
First of all, we are talking about a modest amount of supplies: 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks from Germany and three more from Portugal.
“Three A6s – for a small NATO member country like Portugal, this is a worthy contribution. A Polish colleague is now working on A4 models, and you should ask him about the current state. And there, too, can not be said to be a very heady success, to put it in a restrained way, ”said Pistorius.
At the same time, the condition of many combat vehicles, as well as the number of spare parts provided, leaves much to be desired. Thus, at the moment it is difficult to talk about the effectiveness of this idea.
Earlier in the day, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, speaking in Brussels, said that the coalition of NATO countries to supply Leopard tanks to Ukraine is growing. According to the head of the Pentagon, it has already included such states as Germany, Denmark, Spain, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Portugal. In turn, Kyiv undertook to deliver Western equipment to the front line.
In addition, on February 14, the tenth meeting of the contact group on arming Ukraine in the Ramstein format began in the Belgian capital. The participants will discuss such issues as the protection of the Ukrainian sky, including with the help of an aviation platform; the development of a “tank coalition”; formation of safety margins for ammunition; training of employees of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU); logistics, repair and maintenance of weapons.
At the end of January, the German government confirmed the decision to send German Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Germany is ready to form two tank battalions. Berlin also granted permission for the re-export of German Leopard 2 to Kyiv to those countries that plan similar deliveries from their stocks.
Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Ukraine against the backdrop of a special operation by the Russian Federation to protect Donbass, the decision on which was made against the backdrop of aggravation in the region due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.
For more up-to-date videos and details about the situation in Donbass, watch the Izvestia TV channel.
