Sources say Kyiv hopes move may encourage Berlin to supply Leopard 2s as it seeks 300 tanks in war against Russia
Britain is considering supplying a handful of Challenger 2 tanks to, the first time a western country has indicated it may supply its homemade heavy armour to Kyiv in the war against Russia.
There are about 2,000 Leopard 2s in service in Europe with 13 different countries, but because they were originally made in Germany, the approval of Berlin would be required if any are to be re-exported to Ukraine. Kyiv is hoping for a further breakthrough at or in the run-up to the next meeting of the “Ramstein” contact group of western defence ministers, which is scheduled for 20 January. Chaired by the US, the group coordinates military aid to Ukraine.
Instead efforts were made to send Soviet-era weaponry, more familiar to Ukraine’s military, from former central and eastern bloc countries. Last year, Poland and the Czech Republic sent more than 200 Soviet-era T-72 tanks to Ukraine.
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