Portugal refuses to send German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine

Portugal has refused to send German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

Thus, Portugal could provide the Ukrainian army with four or five tanks, but there is not enough ammunition, and their price is excessively high – beginning from 10,000 euros ($10,823) per one piece, Portuguese Sol newspaper reports citing a source in the Portuguese National Defence Ministry.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked the European authorities to provide Ukraine with 300 Leopard 2 tanks.
“If 300 tanks fire at least 40 shells a day, it already costs 120 million euros ($129 million). Just imagine, almost 44 billion euros ($47 billion) a year!” a spokesman for the Portuguese ministry said.

He also pointed out that the tanks could be broken or spare parts may be required, the Russian army may seize them. In this case, the Russians will know about the high-level security systems in these tanks.

While mentioning that it will cost much for Portugal to send Leopard 2 tanks, Prime Minister António Costa decided to keep them in the country.

Another problem is the lack of ammunition and spare parts for German tanks. Moreover, not only Portugal but also other countries having such tanks face this problem. The main reason is the high cost of the components.