German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius indicated that western allies are struggling to put together two full battalions of Leopard 2 tanks to send to Ukraine as promised.
(Bloomberg) — German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius indicated that western allies are struggling to put together two full battalions of Leopard 2 tanks to send to Ukraine as promised.
Germany and Portugal are the only two nations to commit to sending the A6 version of the Leopard 2, with 14 pledged by the government in Berlin and three from the Portuguese, Pistorius told reporters Wednesday after meeting NATO counterparts in Brussels. “We will not reach the size of a battalion,” he said.
Poland has assembled about 30 units of the older A4 version of the Leopard 2, which is almost enough for the standard Ukrainian battalion of 31, but many of them are in poor condition and need repairs before they can be deployed, Pistorius said. Those tanks will only get to Ukraine at the end of April, he added.
The minister’s admission marks a setback in the bid by western allies to help the Ukrainian army deal with an expected intensification of fighting in coming weeks.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at the end of last month that Germany and its allies would quickly put together two battalions of battle tanks for Ukraine, while the US pledged to send 31 of its equivalent M1 Abrams.
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