The Netherlands will not supply its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Prime Minister Mark Rutte had previously considered purchasing the leased Leopard 2A6 tanks from the Netherlands and sending them to Ukraine for war against Russia. But Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren tells the House of Representatives that will not happen.
The eighteen tanks are officially owned by Germany and leased from the Netherlands. But Germany has now chosen not to give the tanks to Ukraine, Ollongeren said. “It was a military decision.” The German government has long hesitated to supply German-made Leopard tanks. After much international pressure, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government agreed last month.
Ancient tanks in Ukraine
Earlier this week it was announced that the Netherlands, together with Germany and Denmark, will deliver 100 ancient Leopard 1A5 tanks to Ukraine. They need to be “delivered as quickly as possible,” says Ollongren. The cabinet has also offered to train Ukrainian soldiers to handle the Leopard 2A6.
Source: BNR
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