Spain Announces Delivery of Six Leopard 2A4 Tanks to Ukraine After Repair

Spain plans to supply Ukraine with German-made Leopard 2A4 tanks once they have been repaired. This statement was made by Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles.

“We are currently repairing six Leopard 2A4 tanks, with the possibility of increasing that number if necessary and at the request of our allies,” Robles was quoted as saying by Reuters.

According to the minister, the tanks will be ready by late March to early April. Robles ruled out the delivery of more modern Leopard 2 tanks, stating that they are needed for national defense. The Leopard 2A4s are older modified versions of the tanks.

The tanks that Spain plans to transfer to Ukraine have been stored at the Zaragoza base for ten years and have not been used for a long time, Robles stated in January. Overall, Spain possesses 108 Leopard 2A4 tanks, military expert Félix Arteaga told Reuters. Out of these, 53 are currently at the Zaragoza military base and need repairs.

According to agency sources, some of the vehicles are in worse condition than others. The discussions about supplying German tanks to Ukraine have been ongoing for several weeks, during which time Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized Germany for indecisiveness.

In late January to early February, Germany announced it would send 178 Leopard 1 tanks and 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Following Germany, Poland, Norway, and Portugal also declared their readiness to supply German tanks to Ukraine.

On February 18, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz voiced his frustration that allies needed to be convinced to supply tanks to Ukraine and that only a few countries were following Germany's example.