Defense Post
January 26, 2023

Spain Says ‘Ready’ to Send German Tanks to Kyiv

Spain said Wednesday it was ready to send some of its German-made Leopard tanks to bolster Ukraine’s fight against Russia after Berlin granted approval for their European transfers.

“Spain is ready…to deal with our allies in any way necessary, whether that means sending Leopards, training in the use of Leopards or help in their maintenance and upkeep,” Defense Minister Margarita Robles said.

Her remarks came shortly after Berlin said it would send some of its own Leopards to Kyiv and cleared other European nations to send their own stocks to Ukraine.

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According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the Spanish military has 327 Leopard battle tanks, making it one of the armies with the largest number.

El Pais daily said 108 of them were Leopard 2A4s bought second-hand from Germany in 1995.

The other 239 were Leopard 2E combat tanks, a variant of Germany’s Leopard adapted by the Spanish military and built in Spain, it said.