A top German official said in a Monday interview that his country—in cooperation with Denmark—will soon provide Ukraine with "dozens" of Leopard 1A5 combat tanks.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius made the announcement during an interview with the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita, saying the tanks' arrival would be in the "next few weeks."
Germany has already supplied Kyiv with advanced Leopard 2 tanks, with the first shipment of those vehicles arriving to Ukraine in late March. Though the Leopard 1 tanks are not as modern as Leopard 2s, they will still provide a boost to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's forces as their counteroffensive against Russia continues to make advances.
The news of the Leopard 1A5 tanks also comes on the same day that Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said his country's military had destroyed 16 Leopard 2 tanks supplied to Kyiv by Poland and Portugal, according to Russian news agency Tass.
Germany and Denmark first announced they would supply Ukraine with about 100 Leopard 1 tanks in February. During a visit to Kyiv at that time, Pistorius revealed around 20 Leopard 1s would arrive to Ukraine by the summer.
During his interview with Rzeczpospolita, Pistorius was asked if Germany thinks it has been too slow to provide Ukraine with military aid.
"[This is] the first time Germany has supplied a country in a state of war with armaments! Germany provides Ukraine with the second largest amount of military assistance in terms of equipment supply, if we are talking about direct financial aid or aid within EU borders," he answered, according to a translation by the online outlet Ukrainska Pravda.
He later added: "Dozens of Leopard 1A5 combat tanks provided by Germany and Denmark will arrive in Ukraine in the next few weeks."
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov touted the German tanks coming to his country on Twitter and thanked Pistorius.
"The Leopard is a proud and strong animal. It loves freedom, a fair fight and good food," Reznikov tweeted Sunday. "Dozens of Leopards came to Ukraine to show what they are capable of. And their time will come! Thank you to Minister Boris Pistorius."
The Leopard is a proud and strong animal. It loves freedom, a fair fight and good food.
— Oleksii Reznikov (@oleksiireznikov) July 2, 2023
Dozens of Leopards came to Ukraine to show what they are capable of. And their time will come!
Thank you to Minister Boris Pistorius @BMVg_Bundeswehr pic.twitter.com/dHEjxdmEKm
Last week, Reznikov spoke of the success Ukraine's counteroffensive has had thus far during an interview with the Financial Times.
He said that Ukraine's liberation of several villages was only a "preview" of a larger push yet to come, which he referred to as "the main event" of the military campaign.
"When it happens, you will all see it...Everyone will see everything," Reznikov told the newspaper.
Newsweek reached out to Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs via email for comment.
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Jon Jackson is an Associate Editor at Newsweek based in New York. His focus is on reporting on the Ukraine ... Read more
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