Zelensky had asked for the Leopard tanks to face a potential new offensive from Russia in the spring.
Poland has delivered the first Leopard tanks to Ukraine, the country’s President Andrzej Duda confirmed on Friday as Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki visited Kyiv to mark one year since the beginning of Russia’s invasion.
Morawiecki confirmed that four tanks have been delivered to Ukraine, but did not specify whether those were the Leopard 1 or the more modern Leopard 2 models; Bloomberg reported, however, that the four tanks were Leopard 2A4. The rest of the Leopard tanks Warsaw promised Kyiv will follow soon, Morawiecki said.
Ukraine has long called for a ramp-up of military aid, asking for supportive countries to send Leopard tanks and fighter jets to face a potential, and widely expected, new Russian offensive in the spring.
Last month, Poland’s leadership—which has been a strong supporter of Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression since the beginning of the conflict—put pressure on Berlin to approve the transfer of the German-made Leopard tanks within its stocks to Kyiv.
