Pistorius: The first battalion of Leopard 2 will arrive in Ukraine in three to four months

BERLIN, 8 February – RIA Novosti. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told reporters on Wednesday that the first battalion of Leopard 2 tanks will arrive in Ukraine in the next three to four months.

“I think we can deploy at least one, maybe three, battalions in the first four months,” Pistorius said after meeting with his Polish counterpart, Mariusz Blaszczak, in Warsaw.

According to the German minister, the battalion will be equipped with Polish Leopard 2 A4s. The politician’s speech was broadcast on German television.

Earlier, Pistorius reported that the delivery of 14 Leopard 2 tanks, which was announced earlier, to Ukraine will take place before the end of March. It also announced that agreement has been reached with several European countries for joint deliveries of 20-25 Leopard A1 tanks by summer and more than 100 by the beginning of 2024.

Overall, Germany plans to supply Ukraine with 178 first generation Leopard tanks and 14 Leopard 2 type A6 tanks.

Russia sent a note to NATO countries for the supply of weapons to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine would become a legitimate target for Russia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation reported that NATO countries were “playing with fire” by supplying weapons to Ukraine. Lavrov warned that as more and more long-range weapons are pumped into western Ukraine, the geographic targets of special operations are moving further and further from the current line.