The decision: Ukraine receives German tanks

Russia's invasion of Ukraine 

Germany sends tanks to Ukraine 

Of:  

Paula Westerberg  

Published: Less than 2 hours ago  

Updated: Less than 20 min ago  

NEWS 

The German government has decided that it will send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, reports

Der Spiegel.

 

A tank that has long been on Ukrainian President Volodomy Zelenskyi's wish list. 

 

Leopard 2 tank. Photo: Michael Sohn/AP  

The German decision has been preceded by months of debate and comes after it emerged that the US is leaning towards sending tanks to

Ukraine

as well.  

Germany has become one of Ukraine's leading arms suppliers since Russia's invasion. The Leopard 2 tank is used by many other countries and has long been sought after by

Kyiv.

 

This opens the door for several other European countries to send tanks to Ukraine, including Poland.  

Earlier, the Wall Street Journal reported that US President Joe Biden's administration is leaning toward sending a significant number of the M1 Abrams tank to Ukraine, according to administration sources. According to the information, an announcement about the deliveries may come this week.  

The announcement would, according to the Wall Street Journal, be part of a broader agreement with Germany in which Berlin sends a smaller number of Leopard 2 tanks and also approves the delivery of the tank from Poland and other countries.  

The White House has declined to comment on the data.  

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in front of a Leopard 2 main battle tank. possibly Photo: Moritz Frankenberg, dpa via AP / TT 

Facts 

Leopard  

The Leopard 1 tank began to be used in 1965. The Leopard 2 model then began to be manufactured in the 1970s, then on behalf of the West German army.  

Leopard 2 weighs over 60 tons, can travel at up to 70 kilometers per hour and hit targets at a distance of up to four and a half kilometers. When the cannon is pointed forward, the tank is almost eleven meters long.  

Around 20 states have had, have or will get Leopard 2, including Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Turkey and Sweden. 

Sweden bought the Leopard 2 system in 1994. Here they have been given the designations Stridsvagn 121 and 122.  

Sources: The Swedish Defense Materiel Administration, the Swedish Armed Forces, KMW