The German defense concern Rheinmetall has announced that it is ready to send Leopard 1 tanks and Marder infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) to Ukraine. This is reported by the German newspaper Handelsblatt with reference to the head of the concern Armin Papperger.
"The first Leopard 1 could be delivered in six weeks," he said, adding that this would require the consent of the German government.
According to him, Rheinmetall can provide Kiev with up to 50 tanks in total. Papperger noticed that we are talking about old equipment that was previously operated by other armies. Now her condition is being checked by the company's experts. Leopard 1 deliveries can take up to three months.
The concern is also ready to transfer up to 60 Marder-type infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine, he said, adding that some of them can be shipped within six weeks.
Earlier, the Bild newspaper reported that Ukraine intends to purchase 35 Marder infantry fighting vehicles from the German defense concern Rheinmetall. According to the German edition, if the contract is concluded, the equipment will have to be delivered by the end of the year. It is noted that before that Kiev wanted to get an IFV directly from the German Defense Ministry, but Berlin announced a shortage of available vehicles in connection with its obligations under NATO.