Military Modernization To NATO Standards, North Macedonia Donates Soviet-era Main Battle Tank To Ukraine

JAKARTA - North Macedonia plans to donate an unspecified number of Soviet-era tanks to Ukraine, as it plans to modernize its military.

In Friday's announcement, North Macedonia's Ministry of Defense said modernization steps were important to meet North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) standards.

In a statement, the ministry said Ukraine would receive tanks belonging to the western Balkan state tank battalion which are in the process of being upgraded.

"Taking into account this situation and the requirements of the Ukrainian defense ministry, the government has decided that a certain amount of this (tank) capacity will be donated to Ukraine, according to its needs," the statement said.

The ministry did not specify the number of tanks, but said it had third-generation so-called main battle tanks from the 1970s and 1980s that had composite armor and a computer-stabilized fire control system.

North Macedonia, the former republic of Yugoslavia, is a member of NATO and a candidate to join the European Union. He, like other Western countries, has donated military equipment to Ukraine since the Russian invasion on 24 February.