< p _ngcontent-sc148="" class="news-annotation">Portugal, after a short delay, decided to transfer German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Lisbon even announced the date when Leopards would be sent to Ukraine .
This was stated by Prime Minister of Portugal António Costa, speaking in Parliament. He announced that Lisbon would transfer three of its own Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv.
Ukraine will receive Leopards from Portugal in March
Antonio Costa said that the tanks will be sent in March. Portugal is currently working on tank maintenance.
We are now implementing a plan for the restoration and maintenance of Leopard 2 tanks and, according to the plan, we will be able to send (Ukraine – Channel 24) three of them in March. This is what we are working on,” Costa said.
Antonio Costa confirmed that Portugal will hand over the tanks to Ukraine on February 4th. Then the Portuguese prime minister said that Lisbon was negotiating with Berlin to provide spare parts for the repair of failed tanks.
It should be noted that the head of the Armed Forces of Portugal, Antonio Silva Ribeiro, reported that the country had 37 Leopard 2 tanks. At the same time, local media claimed that most of them were disabled.
The main advantages of Leopard tanks/Channel 24 infographic
Ukraine will receive Western tanks: what is known
- Against the background of information that Russia is preparing a new large-scale offensive, Western partners are strengthening Ukraine thanks to tanks and other weapons. Germany played an important role, agreeing not only to transfer several Leopard tanks to Ukraine, but also to allow their re-export.
- On February 7, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius visited Kyiv. His Ukrainian colleague Oleksiy Reznikov said that the first Leopard is already in Ukraine.
- According to Pistorius, Ukraine will receive the first battalion of Leopard 2 A6 tanks at the end of March. The reason is that the Ukrainian military is still undergoing exercises.
- In addition, Germany approved the decision to transfer 178 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine. By the summer, Berlin should transfer 20-25 vehicles, and by the end of 2023 – about 80 In addition, Ukraine should receive more than 100 Leopard 1 tanks during 2024.
