Leopard 2s have a big advantage for Ukraine: They’re widely available in Europe.
Developments in the Ukraine war this week centered on an agreement from Germany and the U.S. who have finally decided to send dozens of their own respective battle tanks to the war-torn nation.
There was delight in Kyiv, with officials saying it could be a game changer in the conflict, and anger in Moscow with officials there calling the latest NATO donation „extremely dangerous.“
For Ukraine, the offer of modern, Western battle tanks was a long-time coming; it has requested Leopard 2 tanks from Germany, and asked Berlin to authorize their re-export from other allies, for months.
Widely available and used by a handful of armed forces in Europe today, Leopard 2s have been a stalwart for the German Army since they entered service in 1979 — with various upgrades since their inception (the latest version is the Leopard 2A7A1) — and have been used by Western nations in conflicts ranging from Kosovo to Afghanistan and Syria.
On Wednesday, Germany offered Ukraine 14 of its Leopard 2A6 tanks and said it would allow allies to export their own German-made tanks to Ukraine.
Poland, the Netherlands, Spain, Norway and Finland are among the other countries that have signaled they will, or are willing, to send tanks to Kyiv. The U.K. has already said it will send 14 of its Challenger 2 tanks while the U.
