Spain, together with its allies, is ready to coordinate shipments of Leopard tanks to Ukraine and provide necessary military training and maintenance assistance to its troops, Defense Minister Margarita Robles said on Wednesday
MADRID (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th January, 2023) Spain, together with its allies, is ready to coordinate shipments of Leopard tanks to Ukraine and provide necessary military training and maintenance assistance to its troops, Defense Minister Margarita Robles said on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced his decision to increase military support for Ukraine and provide it with Leopard 2 battle tanks. German Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit specified that Berlin would send 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Kiev.
"As part of this coordination, Spain is ready to discuss with our allies every aspect regarding shipments of Leopard tanks (to Ukraine), training on their use and maintenance assistance," the minister told the EFE news agency.
According to El Pais, the Spanish armed forces has 347 Leopard battle tanks, with 239 Leopard 2E tanks produced domestically and 108 Leopard 2A4s bought from Germany in 1995. In addition, Spain also has fully operational Leopard 2A4 tanks in its Ceuta and Melilla garrisons.
According to another Spanish newspaper, El Mundo, only 53 of Italy's 108 Leopard tanks purchased from Germany are "viable" and only 20 of those are in good condition, while the rest are in need of major repairs.
Western countries ramped up their military support for Ukraine after Russia launched a special military operation there on February 24, 2022, responding to calls for help from the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. In April, Moscow sent a note to NATO member states condemning their military assistance to Kiev. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that any arms shipments on Ukrainian territory would be "legitimate targets" for Russian forces.
