Ukrainian source reports 12 countries agree to supplying Leopard-2 tanks to Kyiv

In the course of negotiations being held on January 21 at the US Ramstein military base in Germany by allied nations discussing military support for Ukraine, 12 countries have reportedly agreed to supply Ukraine with Leopard-2 tanks.

The American ABC news outlet reports on this, citing an anonymous Ukrainian official. According to him, Ukraine could receive about 100 tanks if Germany issues an export license. Though the official did not name a full list of specific countries, Poland and Finland had already earlier officially spoken about their willingness of transfering tanks.

The source states that Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark were willing to provide part of their tanks, however the consent by Leopard producer Germany is still necessary in order to proceed with this matter.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has recently reiterated that Berlin has not changed its position on the direct supply of those tanks, stating that it was not only looking at its inventory and industry stocks, but also at the compatibility of its tanks for combat in Ukraine, as well as issues around the logistics of supply and maintenance, as reported by the Tagesschau.

The delay in Germany’s decision regarding the delivery of heavy weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces provoked a critical reaction from Ukraine’s other allies. On January 22, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that the German position is "unacceptable", and the Polish side together with other countries will create a coalition to help Ukraine in the event of Germany’s refusal to supply Leopard.