Weighing 60 tons, nearly ten meters long and considered one of the best main battle tanks in the world: the German-built Leopard 2 has become the focus of the discussion about support for Ukraine. But how many of the European NATO countries and candidates like Finland? And who will deliver them to Ukraine?

The Ministry of National Defense, the administrative authority for command and procurement, does not disclose the exact number of Leopard tanks. However, according to military information, 14 tanks were sent to Estonia for the first time in September on an international mission.

The Bundeswehr has retired or delivered old Leopard tanks to other countries. This includes models of the 2A4 type, as well as the Leopard 1 generation. It has about 320 of the new models, but the exact number is kept secret. The traffic light government, led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), is still reluctant to hand over the main battle tank. The new Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) has to deal with this too.

• Who pays for German weapons for Ukraine?

Finland is not yet a NATO member, but has signaled that it may supply Ukraine with some Leopard tanks. According to the Finnish Defense Command, the Finns have around 200 Leopard 2 tanks.

Greece, on the other hand, has significantly more Leopard tanks: there are 170 2HELs, 183 old Type 2A4s and 500 Type 1A5s from the previous Leopard generation. The high number of tanks is due to the constant conflict with Turkey.

Netherlands leased 18 Leopard 2A6 tanks from Germany. They are part of the German-Dutch tank battalion and are stationed at Bergen-Hohne in Lower Saxony.

According to the Ministry of Defense, Norway purchased 52 used Leopard 2A4s from the Netherlands in 2001. Some are in use, others are used as spare parts storage and are even scrapped. The ministry did not say exactly how many tanks are in operation.

According to the Polish Ministry of Defense, Poland has 247 Leopard main battle tanks in 2A4 and 2A5 versions and in the modernized PL version. Poland also wants to deliver the tank to Ukraine:

The Portuguese Ministry of Defense did not provide any information on the leopard population. According to media reports, there are 37 Leopard 2A6s in service with the Portuguese armed forces.

There is no information about the number of Leopard tanks from Sweden. However, it is considered certain that Sweden has more than 100 Leopard tanks.

Slovakia has a Leopard tank. By the end of 2023, there should be a total of 15 as part of a ring exchange. Probably none of them will be delivered to Ukraine.

Spain has 347 Leopard tanks. Of these, 108 belong to the old 2A4 variant and 239 to the Leopard 2A6 type. But some tanks do not work – some need to be delivered to Ukraine. After weeks of speculation about the shipment, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said in August:

Delivery failed.

Germany is supplying the Czech Republic with 14 Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks and Buffalo armored recovery vehicles as part of the ring exchange. These are replacements for Soviet-made tanks delivered to Ukraine. The Czech Republic currently has only one of 14 Leopard tanks. Prime Minister Petr Fiala recently stressed that the sale of military technology has reached the limits of what is possible.

The Turkish Ministry of Defense does not comment on the number of troops and armament. According to the figures of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), there are 316 Leopard 2A4, 170 Leopard 1A4 and 227 Leopard 1A3 in Turkey.

According to consistent media reports, Hungary leased twelve Leopard 2A4 tanks from manufacturer Kraus-Maffei in 2020 for training purposes. Also, 44 ​​new Leopard 2A7s will be added this year. Delivery to Ukraine is unlikely due to good relations between Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, France, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia and the United Kingdom.