The German government has confirmed its decision to sell 88 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine, RBC-Ukraine reports, citing Spiegel.
The federal government has granted Ukraine a license to export Leopard 1 main battle tanks, government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit confirmed on Friday.
UPDATED. In turn, according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Berlin has approved plans by German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall to sell Leopard 1 tanks to Kyiv after they are repaired for a total of more than 100 million euros.
The problem is that Leopard 1s are no longer in production, and the shells for them are of a different calibre than those for the newer Leopard 2s that Ukraine is expecting to receive.
At the same time, Germany recently decided to supply Ukraine with 14 Leopard 2 battle tanks. In addition to training for Ukrainian crews by the Bundeswehr, the package also includes logistics, ammunition, and maintenance.