Germany’s defence ministry has mentioned that it has delivered 18 Leopard tanks to Ukraine.

Rotterdam, Netherlands:

Germany has delivered promised Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz mentioned on Monday, offering Kyiv with much-needed heavy weaponry in opposition to Russia.

The supply of what Scholz mentioned have been “very trendy” German-made battle tanks comes some two months after Berlin lastly gave the inexperienced gentle for them to be despatched.

Ukraine has appealed to its western allies to make good on their pledges of heavy arms to push again Russian forces, forward of a attainable spring counter-offensive by Kyiv.

“Sure, we delivered Leopard tanks as we introduced,” Scholz instructed a press convention with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in Rotterdam when requested to verify a report in information outlet Spiegel.

“We’re offering very trendy (tanks) which now we have now delivered.”

The Spiegel report mentioned Berlin had delivered 18 of the superior Leopards, with the final of the tanks having left Germany on the finish of final week, earlier than being handed over to Ukraine on the border.

Germany’s defence ministry later confirmed the 18 Leopard deliveries, together with two armoured “Buffel” tank restoration automobiles.

About 40 Marder infantry combating automobiles have additionally arrived in Ukraine, it mentioned.

“Our tanks have made it into the palms of our Ukrainian pals as promised and on time,” German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius mentioned in a press release.

“I am certain they will make a distinction on the bottom.”

Berlin was maintaining the route of the deliveries secret for safety causes, Spiegel mentioned.

– ‘Harmful’ –

Ukrainian troopers have been skilled on the 2A6s, probably the most superior of the Leopard fashions, on German navy bases. They’ve additionally skilled at Spanish bases.

On the finish of January, Berlin lastly gave the inexperienced gentle for Leopards — among the many world’s most superior tanks and utilized by militaries throughout Europe — to be despatched to Ukraine.

The US mentioned on the similar time it could ship superior American Abrams tanks.

Underneath German regulation, any nation eager to ship the tanks to a different nation should first get approval from Berlin.

Scholz’s authorities initially mentioned it was aiming to assemble, together with allies, two battalions of tanks for Kyiv — about 60 tanks in whole.

However they’ve since struggled to get the numbers collectively.

The German and Dutch cupboards held a particular joint session within the port metropolis of Rotterdam on Monday on the large, mirrored depot of the Boijmans Van Beuningen artwork museum.

Scholz and Rutte mentioned they’d mentioned navy assist for Ukraine and their “distinctive” navy cooperation, which includes Germany and the Netherlands merging some armed models.

“The European message stays utterly clear, even after greater than a 12 months: we assist Ukraine in all areas and we’ll achieve this so long as it’s essential,” Rutte mentioned.

The Dutch premier additionally condemned latest Russian statements, together with former president Dmitry Medvedev speaking about focusing on the Worldwide Legal Court docket in The Hague with a hypersonic missile.

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Russian Vladimir Putin over allegations of battle crimes earlier this month.

“We discover these sort of statements irresponsible and harmful,” Rutte mentioned.

“That additionally goes for the menace to place nuclear weapons in Belarus,” he mentioned, referring to plans introduced by Putin to deploy tactical atomic bombs in Russia’s ally Belarus.

(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is printed from a syndicated feed.)