German concern Rheinmetall, which assembles Leopard, said that it would be able to transfer the tanks to Ukraine not earlier than 2024
Representatives of the German concern Rheinmetall, which assembles Leopard tanks, have spoken out about the transfer of the equipment to Ukraine. And they have some bad news.
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So, now there are 110 decommissioned tanks in Rheinmetall warehouses, namely 22 Leopard 2 tanks and 88 Leopard 1 units. But even if the decision on their transfer will be made in the coming days, Ukraine will not be able to get them before 2024.
"We cannot bring these tanks to readiness without an order, because the costs amount to several hundred million euros. So even if there is a decision tomorrow that we can send our Leopard tanks to Kiev, the delivery will be delayed until early next year," said Rheinmetall Chairman Armin Papperger.
The thing is that the tanks need to be reconstructed: they have to be dismantled, rebuilt, repainted, and re-equipped for use in the war. And this will take almost a year.
Germany will make a final decision on the transfer of the Leopard next week. At the same time, Poland promised to hand over a company of tanks, which the Polish army has. Finland is also ready to transfer Leopard tanks to Ukraine from its own stocks, if a relevant project of assistance to Ukraine will be launched at the European level.
Source: Bild am Sonntag