Germany is so far set to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, Der Spiegel reported Tuesday evening, quoting unnamed sources. It comes as Poland also got the go-ahead to send some of its tanks to Ukraine, as well.
The German news outlet reports that while the German parliament was due to debate the issue Wednesday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz had decided to deliver the battle tanks to aid Ukraine in its 11-month-long war against Russia.
The news follows reports that the U.S. is poised to announce Wednesday that it will send some 30 to 50 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine.
The U.S. and Germany had been in a standoff over the issue, with Germany saying last week it would not send any of its Leopards to Ukraine unless the U.S. sent some Abrams tanks.
Poland has also asked Berlin for the okay to send some of its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. As Leopard 2s are made in Germany, Berlin must approve their export from one country to another.
On Wednesday morning, Poland got the official go-ahead to send Ukraine the tanks. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki tweeted out, “Thank you @Bundeskanzler (German Chancellor) Olaf Scholz. The decision to send Leopards to Ukraine is a big step towards stopping Russia. Together we are stronger.”
It’s not clear when any of these tanks will be field ready, once delivered to Kyiv. The U.S. is arranging for the contracting of the Abrams tanks with their manufacturer, which could take up to a year. Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the German Ministry of Defense has told CNN that while its army has some 320 Leopard tanks in its possession, she has not revealed how many would be battle ready.
