According to the publication, the final figure will depend on the condition of 53 combat vehicles stored for about 10 years in ZaragozaMADRID, February 1.
/tass/. The Spanish authorities plan to transfer from four to six refurbished Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine as part of the first delivery. This was reported on Wednesday by the newspaper El Pais, citing government sources.
It is noted that the final figure will depend on the condition of 53 combat vehicles stored for about 10 years in Zaragoza. Now the Spanish Defense Ministry is negotiating an urgent restoration of tanks. The publication clarifies that so far Germany has announced the transfer of 14 cars "as a first step", Canada - four.
The newspaper writes that the cost of repairing Spanish Leopard tanks may exceed half a million euros per unit. The estimated period of restoration of tanks - two and a half months - coincides with the duration of the course developed by the army of the kingdom for the training of Ukrainian tankers. It will be held at the National Training Center in Zaragoza.
According to the publication, the Ministry of Defense could also supply Kiev with a set of spare parts for Leopard. The supply of ammunition - 120-millimeter shells - is more difficult to implement, since Spain does not produce them, as a result, it would have to resort to the reserves of the kingdom's army.
Earlier, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said that Madrid could send tanks to Kiev in the spring, but the exact number of combat vehicles has not yet been specified. On January 17, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares assured that the country's government was not considering the possibility of transferring these combat vehicles to Kiev. The very next day, the minister said that the relevant decision had to be made jointly with the kingdom's allies.
In the summer of 2022, the Spanish press reported that the government of the country is studying the possible transfer of 10 Leopard tanks to Ukraine. Nevertheless, in August, the Spanish authorities said that the cars were in poor condition, so they could not be transferred to Kiev yet.