Germany has delivered 18 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced on Monday. The Leopard 2 are German-made tanks available to the armies of various European countries, long requested by Ukraine because they are considered the most suitable to support the war effort against the Russian invasion.
For weeks, Germany had hesitated to send the tanks, fearing to provoke Russia excessively, also blocking any supplies from other European countries, given that the contracts stipulate that authorization is required to send the Leopard 2s to another state of Germany. The stalemate was broken in late January, when the United States announced that it would send its M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, finally convincing Germany to authorize the sending of Leopard 2s.