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Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands will pool funds to restore at least 100 old Leopard 1 tanks from industry stocks and supply them to Ukraine, according to a joint statement published on Tuesday. The countries said Ukraine would receive up to 100 Leopard 1 A5 tanks within this and next year as well as training, logistical support, spare parts, and an ammunition package.
The decision was announced as new German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius visited Kyiv where he met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his counterpart, Oleksii Reznikov. Pistorius said during a joint media statement with Reznikov that he was glad to announce the good news.
“This will happen in stages. Until summer 20 to 25 Leopard 1 tanks will be sent, and until the end of the year - up to 80. Within the first months of 2024, we want to reach 100 Leopard 1 tanks,” reads the joint statement.
Details of the deal still need to be worked out with the companies that own the tanks, according to the statement.
The exact number of tanks and whether there would be cost-sharing with the companies were not immediately clear. There are some 180 Leopard 1 tanks in Germany owned by arms maker Rheinmetall and a company in northern Germany.
In total, the German government approved the export of up to 178 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine.
Earlier, the German arms maker Rheinmetall said it would send Ukraine 20-25 Leopards this year, with the rest of the 88 Leopard 1 tanks it owns in total to be sent next year.
The move follows the German government's decision last month, amid mounting international pressure, to deliver more modern Leopard 2 battle tanks from their army stocks.