JUST IN: Germany said it will send 14 of its Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, and will authorize partner nations to do the same, after facing weeks of pressure from European and international allies.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stands next to a Leopard 2 main battle tank of the German armed forces while visiting an army training center in Ostenholz, Germany, on Oct. 17, 2022.German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stands next to a Leopard 2 main battle tank of the German armed forces while visiting an army training center in Ostenholz, Germany, on Oct. 17, 2022.
Steffen Hebestreit, a spokesman for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, confirmed to NPR that Germany will send a company of 14 tanks, and that Scholz announced the decision during a cabinet meeting Wednesday morning. He called it the result of"intense consultations" with Berlin's closest European and international partners.
Ukrainian crews will soon begin training on the battle tanks in Germany soon, Hebestreit said. Germany will also authorize other countries that have their own stocks of Leopard 2 tanks to export them to Ukraine. On Tuesday, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius emerged from a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg indicating Germany was open to other countries with Leopard tanks training Ukrainian troops on how to operate them. ThenFinnish President Sauli Niinistö has also indicated his country is prepared to supply Kyiv with the tanks.
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