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Germany has given the green light for the export of Leopard 1 battle tanks to Ukraine in a €100 million deal to bolster Kyiv’s defences.
Rheinmetall, the German arms manufacturer, needed the approval to refurbish and sell 88 of the older Leopard tanks to Ukraine.
The vehicles, which first entered into service in 1965 and are no longer manufactured, will come on top of the dozens of Leopard 2s being shipped to Ukraine in the coming months.
“I can confirm that an export license has been issued,” German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said on Friday.
Berlin is also considering plans to buy back 15 Gepard anti-aircraft tanks from Qatar, which were purchased by Doha to secure its World Cup stadiums, in order to deliver them to Ukraine.
The Telegraph