Berlin has given German protection business corporations permission to export older Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine, the German media reported on Friday, citing authorities spokesman Steffen Hebestreit.
The official confirmed to journalists {that a} related export license was granted, with out offering any additional particulars.
“I don’t need to say far more in the intervening time,” Hebestreit informed journalists throughout a authorities press convention on Friday, in line with Der Spiegel weekly. The official additionally mentioned that additional clarifications on the problem could be supplied “inside the coming days or even weeks.”
Rheinmetall, one among Germany’s high arms producers, prompt sending Leopard 1 tanks from its shares to Ukraine as early as April 2022. On the time, the corporate acknowledged it may provide as much as 50 tanks to Ukraine inside simply six weeks if granted the federal government’s approval. The corporate additionally added that it was nonetheless checking on the situation of the tanks in the intervening time.
In mid-January, Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger informed the tabloid Bild that it could take a very long time to arrange the Leopard 1 tanks for potential export to Ukraine even when the corporate obtained a related license “tomorrow.” The tanks have been “fully disassembled and constructed anew,” he mentioned. In response to Papperger, the supply may take as much as a 12 months.
Der Spiegel reported on Friday that there have been 29 Leopard 1 tanks largely prepared for supply, which have been being saved by one other protection producer – the Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft (FFG). Nonetheless, each Der Spiegel and SZ newspapers cited an absence of ammunition for the tanks in reference to the potential supply.
Each Rheinmetall and FFG mentioned they might probably provide dozens of Leopard 1 battle tanks to Ukraine, however provided that Kiev was keen to purchase them, SZ reported. Earlier, Rheinmetall mentioned that overhauling the heavy tools would price a whole lot of thousands and thousands of euros – a price it couldn’t cowl by itself.
Earlier, Berlin additionally vowed to ship 14 trendy Leopard 2 predominant battle tanks out of the military’s stockpiles to Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly criticized the West for supplying weapons to Ukraine, arguing that they solely served to extend the battle and human struggling.
You’ll be able to share this story on social media:
