eight tanks German-made Norwegians Leopard 2 are already operational in the war in Ukraine after the decision of the Norwegian government to continue extending its military aid to the government of Volodymyr Zelensky. The tank donation will be decisive for Ukraine to carry out offensive operations and recapture Russian-occupied territory, said Lt. Col. Lars Jansen, commander of the Armored Battalion at Setermoen in Troms.
The Norwegian Armed Forces have reported that the eight aforementioned tanks and four support vehicles are already on Ukrainian soil. In addition, they have ensured that the training of the Ukrainian soldiers who will be in charge of its use is already being carried out in Poland. Norwegian Defense Minister Bjorn Arild Gram has assured that supporting Ukraine is “important for Norwegian and European security”. Norway promised in January to join the international donation of armed vehicles.
In parallel, the Norwegian government has promised a greater contribution to the work to investigate Russian war crimes in Ukraine. More than 40 countries gathered in London on Monday to support the work of the International Criminal Court in The Hague (ICC) on Russia’s war crimes, and Norway has said it will send more people for the international investigation in The Hague or on the ground. in Ukraine.
So far, nine countries have already committed to sending about 150 Leopard tanks to Ukraine, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, at the end of the tenth meeting of the working group on military aid to Ukraine.
At the meeting of Ramstein working groupin which more than 50 countries participate to coordinate actions in favor of Ukraine, twelve governments promised to transfer tanks to Kyiv, including: Germany, Finland, Poland, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, the United States, Czech Republic, Bulgaria and United Kingdom.
Defense ministers meeting
Also this Monday, the foreign and defense ministers of the European Union have reached an agreement for the plan for joint purchases of artillery ammunition and missiles to replenish the reserves of the European armies and to guarantee the sustainable supply that Ukraine needs in the context of the Russian war of aggression. The plan has been presented at the meeting by the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, and the attendees have given their support to it, which seeks to mobilize a total of one million 155 caliber projectiles within a year millimeters for Ukraine, several diplomatic sources have reported to Europa Press.
“I am grateful to all our partners in Europe! To all who want a strong and free Europe”, stressed the Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelensky, in response to the European decision. The Ukrainian president has stressed that it is “a strategic step.” “It gives us confidence in our unity, in the immutability of the movement towards victory over the terrorist state,” he explained.