BERLIN, Germany
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has decided to send Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine and allow other countries such as Poland to do so while the United States may supply Abrams tanks, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
A government spokesperson, the
foreign ministry and the defence ministry declined to comment.
The decision concerns at least
one company of Leopard 2 A6 tanks that will be provided out of Bundeswehr
stocks, said Spiegel magazine, which first reported the news. One company
usually comprises 14 tanks.
"Today the Chancellor
made a decision that no one took lightly. The fact that Germany will support
Ukraine with the Leopard tank is a strong sign of solidarity," Christian
Duerr, parliamentary leader of the co-governing Free Democrats (FDP) was quoted
as saying by t-online news portal.
"The Leopard's
freed!," Katrin Goering-Eckardt, vice president of the Bundestag, tweeted,
sharing a link of media report on the news.
Other allies, in Scandinavia
for example, intend to go along with Germany in supplying their Leopard tanks
to Kyiv, the magazine reported.
In the longer term, more tanks
could be restored to be fit for use, according to the magazine.
U.S. officials told Reuters
that Washington may soon drop its opposition to sending Abrams tanks to
Ukraine, in a move intended to encourage Germany to follow.
The Pentagon declined to comment on any coming announcements on the Abrams. It also declined to comment on whether Germany might green light deliveries of the Leopards.
Defence "Secretary
(Lloyd) Austin did have very productive conversations with his German
counterpart when he was in Germany" for meetings last week, Brigadier
General Patrick Ryder told a news conference. - Reuters
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