Germany Sends Ukraine Tanks, Artillery And Missiles Worth €2B

The German defense contractor Rheinmetall has asked Berlin to approve the sale of 88 Leopard 1A5 tanks to Ukraine, the German newspaper Die Welt reported.

Photo Insert: The Rheinmetall Leopard 1A5 tank

The application was received at the end of last week by the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection and was forwarded to the Federal Security Council.

This body includes German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the ministers of foreign and internal affairs, defense, finance, economy, economic cooperation, and justice.

If the application is approved, the tanks could be sent to Ukraine "within a few weeks." At the same time, it is specified that the first delivery, consisting of 22 tanks, can be carried out within six to eight weeks, the remaining 66 tanks can be gradually transferred to Kyiv.

In addition to the application for the sale of 88 Leopard tanks, a request was made by Rheinmetall for the sale of 100 Marder infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine and an application from Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) for the export of 100 PzH 2000 self-propelled artillery mounts.

The cost of used Leopard 1A5 tanks is about €115 million. Along with the offer of 100 Marder infantry fighting vehicles worth €150 million and self-propelled artillery installations worth €1.8 billion, the total value of the transaction could be about €2 billion.

WEEKLY FEATURE : MVP Group Keeps Lights On During Pandemic