ROTTERDAM: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said that Berlin has delivered promised leopard battle tanks to Kyiv against Moscow, AFP reported on Monday. Scholz said that they have provided “very modern” German-made tanks to Ukraine. The development comes some 60 days after Berlin finally gave the green signal for them to be provided. Ukraine had asked its western partners to make good on their promises of heavy weapons to push back Russian troops, ahead of a likely spring counter-offensive by Kyiv.
Kyiv-Moscow
“Yes, we had delivered Leopard battle tanks as we announced,” the German Chancellor told a press conference in Rotterdam. We are sending very modern battle tanks, which we have now provided.”
A media outlet reports that Germany had provided eighteen of the advanced Leopard tanks, with the last of the tanks having left Berlin at the end of last week, before being provided to Kyiv at the border.
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Germany’s ministry for defense later confirmed the eighteen Leopard tanks deliveries, along with two armored “Buffel” tank recovery vehicles. The ministry added that around 40 Marder infantry vehicles have also arrived in Kyiv.
In a statement, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that their tanks have made it into the hands of their Ukrainian friends as pledged. The minister believed that the tanks can produce a difference on the battleground. According to media reports Germany was keeping the route of the deliveries undisclosed due to security reasons.
