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Spain's Defense Minister Margarita Robles
Photo: OLIVIER HOSLET / EPA
Spain has announced the delivery of six older Type 2A4 Leopard tanks to Ukraine.
The decommissioned main battle tanks are currently being repaired by the Spanish army, said Defense Minister Margarita Robles in front of the parliament in Madrid.
At the time of the scheduled delivery, Robles did not comment.
The minister stressed that Spain could get more Leopard tanks operational again and send them to Ukraine "if that's necessary and our allies ask us to."
Some of the Leopard 2A4s currently being repaired "were no longer usable because they haven't been repaired since 1990," Robles said.
She had said in the past that some of the Spanish Leopard tanks were in "deplorable" condition.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) promised Ukraine the delivery of battle tanks and armored personnel carriers in January.
In March, the Bundeswehr is to hand over 14 modern A6 Leopard 2 main battle tanks to the Ukrainian army.
In addition, the country is to receive 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles.
Ukrainian soldiers are currently being trained on the Leopard at the Munster military training area in Lower Saxony.
When announcing its delivery of tanks, the federal government had actually announced the goal of providing Ukraine, together with partner countries, with a battalion of the modern Leopard 2 type A6, that would be 31 tanks.
So far, however, only 17 tanks have come together, after Portugal, as the only country so far, has promised three more Leopards of this type.
till/AFP
