Image source: topwar.ru
The statement of the Ukrainian ambassador in Madrid that the weapons transferred by Spain to Ukraine would be enough "for two hours of combat" apparently reached the addressee. According to the Spanish edition of El Pais, the Spanish government has declared its readiness to supply Kiev with heavy weapons.
According to the newspaper, which refers to unnamed sources in the Spanish cabinet, the country's authorities decided to supply the Kiev regime with heavy weapons, including tanks and anti-aircraft missiles. It is noted that this will be the first Spanish delivery of weapons of this class to Ukraine, since before that Madrid sent only ammunition, personal protective equipment and light weapons - grenade launchers and machine guns.
If a final decision is made, German Leopard tanks, which are in service with the Spanish Ground Forces, will go to Ukraine. With a high degree of probability, we are talking about Leopard 2A4 tanks that are in long-term storage awaiting modernization to the Leopard 2E level. Although it is also possible to send Leopard 2E tanks to Kiev, which are an upgraded version of the German Leopard 2A6 for the Spanish army. There is no information about the number of tanks yet.
In addition, Spain has already offered Ukraine to train Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel in the use of Western-made tanks. The training will be conducted on the territory of Latvia, where the Spanish military is stationed as part of the NATO mission.
Also, the Spaniards are preparing to send a battery of anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine, which are not exactly known. To date, the Spanish army is armed with anti-aircraft systems: MBDA Mistral MANPADS, American MIM-23 HAWK medium-range air defense systems, Norwegian NASAMS II medium-range air defense systems, as well as American MIM-104 Patriot long-range air defense systems. Some of this will go to Ukraine, most likely the Mistral MANPADS.
