German Leopard 2 and British Challenger 2 battle tanks arrived in Ukraine Monday as it prepares for a spring offensive against Russia.
Germany had promised to send the Leopard 2 tanks in January. On Monday, Ukraine’s defense minister Oleksii Reznikov said his military had also welcomed “a new addition to our armored units” from Britain, referring to the Challenger 2 tanks, which were also promised back in January.
The German made Leopard 2 is more advanced than the Soviet-era tanks that Ukraine has been utilizing so far.
Ukraine has long sought advanced Western battle tanks, and Germany has also given permission, as required, to several other European countries to also donate their Leopard tanks. The U.S. meanwhile, is speeding up its delivery of promised Abrams tanks to Ukraine, though they’re still not expected to be battle-ready and arrive for at least eight months.
In a statement on Facebook, Reznikov compared riding in the Challenger tanks to riding in a Rolls-Royce.
