FOCUS – The Ukrainian ambassador in France who put forward this figure did not, however, detail the number of tanks promised by each country. Many allies have expressed their willingness to deliver tanks.
After losing several hundred tanks in a year of war, Ukraine will finally be able to replenish its stocks with tanks from allied countries. After the British decision to deliver Challenger 2s in mid-January, Europe experienced another decisive week with the German release for the delivery of Leopard tanks, triggering a wave of announcements from the countries allied with kyiv.
Interviewed this Friday, January 27 on the set of BFM TVUkrainian Ambassador to France Vadym Omelchenko said that “many countries have officially confirmed their agreement to deliver 321 heavy tanks to Ukraine“. President Zelensky said on Tuesday that Ukraine needed far more tanks than “five, ten or fifteen“. According to the highest ranking officer in the Ukrainian army, General Valeri Zaloujny, quoted by the New York Timesat least 300 tanks would be needed to mark a turning point on the front.
This figure of 321 tanks put forward by the ambassador is therefore good news for Ukraine, provided that they can be operational quickly on the ground, before a possible spring Russian counter-offensive. Vadym Omelchenko however did not specify the donor countries, nor therefore the exact number promised by each of them. But many have formalized their delivery agreement. Le Figaro reviews the promises of tank deliveries among Ukraine’s allies.
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The bulk of the heavy tanks delivered to kyiv should be composed of German Leopard 2s, which constitute, with 2260 copies in NATO member countries in Europe according to the specialized blog Blablachars, one of the most important reservoirs in this field. Berlin has set the objective of forming, with the other committed partner countries, two battalions of these tanks, ie around a hundred units. In detail, theGermanythrough the voice of its Head of State Olaf Scholz, announced the delivery of 14 Leopard 2 type 2A6 from the stocks of its army, the Bundeswehr.
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The Leopard Coalition
The Poland for its part formalized the delivery of 14 of these German-made tanks. And Warsaw announced on Thursday that it would also deliver around sixty additional tanks, including 30 PT-91s, a modernized version of the Soviet T-72, a decision hailed by the Ukrainian president on Friday. “I thank (…) for such important decisions to supply Ukraine with 60 Polish tanks, including 30 PT-91, as well as 14 Leopardsaid Volodymyr Zelensky on Twitter, two days after Germany and the United States announced to provide heavy tanks to kyiv. The Polish head of government Mateusz Morawiecki also recalled on television that Poland had “already delivered 250 tanks (…) and even more than thatto Ukraine since the start of the war. Most of them are T-72 tanks of Soviet design.
If almost all the Leopard tanks of NATO member countries are in Europe, thecanadian army which made the choice of German tanks, constitutes an exception. And the country announced in this case, through the voice of its Minister of Defense, the delivery of four Leopard 2.
In the cascade of announcements that followed the German Chancellor’s statements, the Norway also announced its intention to deliver Leopards. “We must support Ukraine in this defensive warsaid Defense Minister Bjon Arild Gram, without specifying the exact number. According to the Norwegian newspaper Today’s businessNorway could deliver 8 Leopard tanks out of the 36 it has.
To complete the Leopard 2 battalions, several NATO countries with these tanks have also announced that they are participating in this effort, without necessarily specifying the number of tanks. L’Spain is “willingto send Leopard heavy tanks but also to participate in theformation“Ukrainian soldiers for their”utilisation” and their “maintenancesaid Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles. According to the Spanish press, Madrid could draw on its base in Zaragoza where around a hundred tanks are stored, of which 53 units are operational with at least twenty usable quickly. His neighbor the Portugal also offered to supply Leopard 2 tanks.
The Finlandfor its part, formalized its cooperation for “create a separate platform to reinforce Ukraine with armor, including tanks“, according to the declaration of its president. The President of Finland, whose army is equipped with more than 200 Leopard 2 tanks, mentioned a possible contribution, insisting on a training role on the Finnish side.
Challenger et Abrams
The Sweden announced, without giving a number, that the delivery of its main battle tanks, the Stridsvagn 122, an improved version of the Leopard 2, was not impossible. Other countries have also shown themselves open to such a possibility without confirming any delivery for the moment. Denmark et Pays–Bas are in this case.
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To the Leopard 2 are added the 14 Challenger 2 tanks promised to Ukraine by the UK. The British were the first to announce, as early as January 14, that they would supply kyiv with heavy tanks. And this Thursday, Secretary of State for Defense Alex Chalk clarified before Parliament that the government was ensuring that these tanks arrive “end of March».
The United States, meanwhile, waited for announcements from the UK and Germany to declare that they would send 31 Abrams heavy tanks. This valuable announcement is in addition to the $24.2 billion in total U.S. military assistance since the Russian offensive in Ukraine began on February 24, 2022.
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