Germany giving 178 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 08 Feb 2023 by Alex Teddy
On February 7 the German newspaper Der Spiegel announced the surprise move. Germany had been very reluctant to allow even foreign armies to give German made tanks to Ukraine. Now Germany is giving tanks from its own army's stocks. 178 is far more than was previously considered likely. Most of these will arrive in the summer of 2023 but some in 2024. The German government has not officially announced this. An official announcement is expected on February 8. Leopard 1's are an older version of the Leopard 2 tank. Germany announced in January 2023 that it would give 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. These will be delivered in March 2023. It is hoped by Germany that this will inspire even more Western countries to donate tanks to Ukraine. Several other NATO members have pledged Leopard tanks to Ukraine. It is hoped that Ukraine will have 61 Leopard tanks: enough for 2 battalions. Chancellor Scholz tried to persuade other Western leaders to donate more tanks. This is a big step. Germany is having the Flensburger Tank Factory make 90 Leopard 1 tanks ready. They have been in storage for years. Italy is also donating some tanks. It is expected that Ukraine will accept all the tanks. It may turn out that some tanks will be cannibalized for spare parts.

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