Pistorius: "Dozens" of German Leopard tanks to arrive in Ukraine in the coming days
At the NATO summit in Vilnius in July, for the first time, Kyiv "will have an equal seat at the table of this alliance body," the minister emphasized
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced the transfer of another batch of Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine in the near future, as well as the supply of additional Iris-T air defense systems.
Source. This was reported by Interfax-Ukraine with reference to the minister's interview with the Polish edition of Rzeczpospolita.
"In the coming weeks, dozens of Leopard 1 A5 battle tanks provided by Germany and Denmark will be delivered to Ukraine. In addition, in May alone, we prepared a new aid package worth 2.7 billion euros, which includes additional urgently needed weapons, such as new Iris-T SLM air defense systems," he said.
The minister noted that Germany is currently providing the second largest military assistance to Ukraine, financial assistance within the EU, and training for Ukrainian military personnel.
When asked about the timeliness of the assistance, the German defense minister said that the decisions taken immediately after February 24 "were a real breakthrough" for Germany, mentioning in particular that Germany was the first country to supply weapons to a warring state.
Pistorius also reminded that during the NATO summit in Vilnius in July, the NATO-Ukraine Council will meet for the first time at the level of heads of state or government, and Kyiv "will have an equal seat at the table of this body of the Alliance," emphasizing the importance of this step towards adaptation to NATO structures and processes.
At the same time, the minister emphasized that he is in solidarity with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that the Alliance should never become a party to a conflict, and the question of Ukraine's accession to NATO can be answered only after the war in Ukraine is over.
"Russia's aggressive war has brought us closer together in Europe. More united than ever before, we support Ukraine and unite our defense capabilities for values such as freedom, peace and security," Pistorius summarized.
Background. In February 2023, the German Federal Government approved the export of Leopard 1 A5 main battle tanks to Ukraine. In addition to Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands have announced plans to supply Leopard 1s to Ukraine. Earlier, a number of Western countries, including Germany, also transferred newer Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
The German concern Rheinmetall announced its intention to supply Ukraine with 50 Leopard 2A4s and approximately 100 Leopard 1s this year after restoration work, as well as negotiations with Ukraine on the construction of a tank factory on Ukrainian soil.
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