Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands Will Provide Leopard 1 Tanks for Ukraine: Old But Tried

German Leopard 1 Tank. (Wikimedia Commons/Aerospace Av Service)

JAKARTA - Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands will raise funds to restore at least 100 old Leopard 1 tanks from industrial stockpiles and supply them to Ukraine, according to a joint statement published on Tuesday.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, during an unannounced visit to Kyiv, said between 20 and 25 tanks would arrive by the summer, about 80 by the end of the year, and another 100 by 2024, according to a statement by the office of Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov after the meeting.

In Washington, German Deputy Chancellor Robert Habeck said Ukraine should have double-digit German-made Leopard 1 tanks ready for service by the first quarter, although it was not immediately clear how many of the 178 approved tanks were eventually delivered.

"The numbers are there but they need to be updated for combat, retooled, so we don't know exactly what the numbers are," he told reporters after meeting US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

"But that's a huge amount to repel Russia's spring attack," he continued.

Asked whether the decision to send them, after months of mounting pressure on Berlin, should have been taken sooner, Habeck said: "I hope it comes at the right time."

A joint statement on the Danish, German, and Dutch plans said Ukraine would receive at least 100 Leopard 1 A5 tanks in the coming months as well as training, logistical support, spare parts, and ammunition packages.

Dutch Defense Minister Kasja Ollongren said the Leopard 1 was "definitely still suitable" for use in combat despite being an older model.

"This is truly a tank that has stood the test of time," he said on Dutch national broadcaster NOS.

"They are being repaired and ready for combat, so they will definitely be useful for Ukraine, and also better than some of the Russian tanks," he explained.

However, the details of the deal still need to be discussed with the company owning the tanks, according to the statement.

It is also unclear whether there will be cost-sharing with the companies. There are about 180 Leopard 1 tanks in Germany owned by arms maker Rheinmetall and a company in northern Germany.

Standing beside Reznikov in Kyiv, Pistorius noted he had previously seen Ukrainian troops leaving for training in Germany in the more modern Leopard 2 tanks his country had also promised Ukraine.

Reznikov tweeted a photo of himself and Pistorius posing with a scale model of the Leopard in a showcase, writing: "The 'first' Leopard 2 has arrived in Kyiv." The German Ministry of Defense later tweeted that the actual Leopard 2 would be available at the end of March.

Furthermore, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands said their Leopard 1 initiative was open to further partners, adding Belgium had shown initial interest in participating.

Earlier, the head of German arms maker Rheinmetall said it would deliver Ukraine 20-25 Leopards this year, with its remaining 88 Leopard 1 tanks to be delivered next year.

The move follows the German government's decision last month, amid increasing international pressure, to deliver more modern Leopard 2 battle tanks from the army's stockpile.