Germany sends 178 first-generation Leopard tanks to Ukraine. Lavrov's answer to the West
25The German government has approved the delivery of 178 first-generation Leopard tanks to Ukraine, according to an official statement on the website of the German Ministry of Defense.
"The federal government, through the supply of Leopard 1 A5 tanks, supports Ukraine in European unity and in close cooperation with international partners," the statement said.
It is noted that at the political level, this decision was made last week. After the approval stage, it was submitted to the Ministry of Economy and Climate Protection, which issued licenses to German military concerns to export up to 178 tanks of the mentioned model.
"How many Leopard 1 A5 battle tanks will actually be delivered to Ukraine depends on the necessary repairs," the ministry added.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, during an unannounced visit to Kyiv, announced an agreement with several European countries on the supply of 20-25 Leopard A1 tanks by the summer and more than 100 by the beginning of 2024. Later, Dutch Defense Minister Kaisa Ollongren specified that Amsterdam and Copenhagen would be involved in the deliveries.
At the end of January, after pressure from NATO partners, Berlin announced that it would hand over the Leopard 2 to the Kyiv authorities and allow the delivery of German tanks to other countries that have them. At the first stage, Germany plans to provide a company of 14 Leopard 2 type A6 from the Bundeswehr stocks. The United States also announced the dispatch to Ukraine of a battalion complex - 31 units - of modern Abrams tanks of its own production. At the same time, the White House specified that these deliveries would take many months.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that those who drag Berlin into a new confrontation with Moscow and hope to win fail to realize that today's confrontation will be very different.
After the start of the special operation in Ukraine, the United States and allies supplied the Ukrainian Armed Forces with billions of dollars of military assistance. Russia sent a note to NATO countries last spring because of the supply of weapons. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov emphasized that any cargo with military equipment would become a legitimate target for the Russian army.