Germany has provided Ukraine with the 18 Leopard 2 tanks promised by Olaf Scholz’s government after insistent demands from Kyiv, the weekly Der Spiegel said Monday.
The “last tanks left Germany at the end of last week and have now been handed over” to Ukraine, the weekly said.
Around 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles have also been delivered, Der Spiegel added, saying Olaf Scholz’s government was keeping the delivery route secret “for security reasons.” When asked by French news agency AFP, the German Defence Ministry declined to comment.
“According to information from security circles, the Leopard tanks are being handed over to Ukraine along with a large package of weapons and spare parts,” Der Spiegel said.
After being urged from all sides to deliver Leopard 2s, Angela Merkel’s successor gave the green light to German tank shipments in late January. The delivery was announced by Berlin for “the end of March, beginning of April.”
Ukrainian soldiers have been trained at German bases in the handling of the Leopard 2, Type 2A6, heavy battle tanks.
