Now it’s official: Germany and the USA are sending main battle tanks to Ukraine. But what happens next? An overview.
The most important things at a glance
Germany announced on Wednesday that it would deliver 14 Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine. In addition, the government wants to allow alliance partners – such as Poland – to export their Leopard tanks. But how many tanks does NATO unite? Who wants to deliver and who is still hesitating? An overview:
Which NATO countries have leopard stocks?
Of the 30 NATO member states, 13 have leopards and 17 do not. These include the USA, Great Britain, France and Italy. Six countries have low stocks of the tanks: Portugal, the Netherlands, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia each have up to 49 of the tanks.
Norway and Canada have a population of up to 99 leopards. The Swedish military, on the other hand, has around 120, and Poland and Finland have more than 200. Finland and Sweden have applied for NATO membership after long periods of military neutrality. However, Hungary and Turkey are the last countries to have not yet agreed to membership. Spain, Turkey, Greece and Germany itself each have more than 300 Leopard tanks. However, ownership does not mean that all tanks are immediately operational.
Who wants to deliver?
After Germany announced that it would deliver 14 Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks to Ukraine, other NATO countries followed suit. US President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that the US will deliver 31 Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine. The Norwegian Defense Minister Björn Arild Gram also told the Norwegian television channel NRK on Wednesday that German-made tanks would be sold. He did not give an exact number.
Spain is also ready, according to the Ministry of Defense of the EFE news agency. The Netherlands also declare their willingness to do so. Prime Minister Mark Rutte said his country could buy the tanks previously leased from Germany and then make them available to Ukraine.
Finland will also join the group of states providing tanks to Ukraine, according to Defense Minister Mikko Savola. “International cooperation on the delivery of leopards to Ukraine is now progressing and Finland will participate in it,” he told journalists. He declined to comment on the exact scope. But his country’s contribution will be limited.
Of the 14 European countries that have Leopard tanks, Poland had also publicly signaled its willingness to sell some examples. Britain has already pledged 14 Challenger tanks.
Who doesn’t want to deliver Leopard tanks to Ukraine?
The Czech Republic announced that it does not want to give up the Leopard 2 main battle tanks in favor of Ukraine, which Germany has promised in the course of a ring exchange. “It is now not possible to send the Leopards on because we need these tanks for our security,” Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala told dpa after a meeting with Scholz in Berlin.
Germany is making 14 Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks and Buffalo armored recovery vehicles available to the Czech Republic as part of a ring exchange. These are the replacements for Soviet-made tanks delivered to Ukraine.
When should the first tanks arrive?
According to Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, the first Leopard main battle tanks from Germany could be in Ukraine in about three months. The SPD politician said on Wednesday after a meeting of the Bundestag’s Defense Committee in Berlin. The training is now beginning very quickly and the supply routes will be clarified very quickly.
The delivery of the Abrams tanks to Ukraine will “take some time”, according to US President Joe Biden. The time should now be used to ensure that the Ukrainians are fully prepared to “integrate the Abrams tanks into their defense,” Biden said in Washington on Wednesday. “The Abrams tanks are the most capable tanks in the world, but they are also extremely complex to operate and maintain.”
