The Ukrainian military has already started training on Leopard 1 tanks. They will begin to be transferred to Ukraine from the middle of 2023.
The Defense Minister of Germany Boris Pistorius told about this in an interview with La Vanguardia.
"The training of over a hundred Ukrainian soldiers for Leopard 1 began this week. Delivery of up to 80 Leopard 1 tanks will begin in the middle of the year," he noted.
The minister reminded that Ukraine received 18 Leopard 2 tanks and 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles from Germany. Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany are also preparing to hand over a batch of old Leopard 1 tanks.
- At the Ramstein meeting on February 14, the US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin informed that eight countries would supply Leopard tanks to Ukraine. These are Germany, Poland, Canada, Portugal, Spain, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands. The United States, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands will together provide more than 90 T-72 tanks, while the United Kingdom will provide Challenger 2 tanks.
- On February 23, during a visit to Kyiv, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez informed that his country is considering providing Ukraine with up to 10 Leopard tanks. The Spanish government spent €4.1 million on their repair.
- On March 15, the US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin stated that the tank coalition to help Ukraine has grown to nine countries. Together, they plan to hand over 150 Leopard tanks.