Belgium does not supply tanks – it cannot give more than we have
02:30 | The fact that Belgium does not supply Ukraine with tanks, while other European countries promise to do so, has a simple reason. The country itself has no more tanks. “We can’t give more than we have,” Belgian Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder told the Terzak TV show table on Thursday evening.
“When I became a minister, our stocks were almost gone,” says Dedonder. “So we have no more tanks to give to Ukraine.” According to VRT, Belgium sold the last tanks to arms dealers in 2014.
According to the minister, the tanks were sold for around 15,000 euros each. The government has tried to buy back the combat vehicles, but dealers are now asking “up to 500,000 euros,” according to Dedonder. He calls it “extremely expensive”, especially since the tanks are “still in the same bad condition as they were then”.
One of the arms dealers who currently owns the tanks, Freddy Versluys, explains to VRT that the amount he is asking for the tanks is not unrealistic. ‘New tracks? 120,000 euros. Has the engine been checked? 185,000 euros. New shock absorbers? 36,000 euros. Fire control system? 500,000 euros. What do you want, do you want to get them for free?’ Versluys told the Belgian channel.
Today, Belgium announces what additional military support it will provide to Ukraine. According to the Belgian business newspaper L’Echo, the delivery of arms is worth 90 million euros. It would be a doubling of the aid Belgium has provided so far. These include AMRAAM missiles, writes the Belgian newspaper.