TSAMTO, April 21. The Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands announced that together with the Ministry of Defense of Denmark it will purchase 14 Leopard-2A4 tanks for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They will be delivered to Ukraine in the "shortest possible time", having previously undergone major repairs. It is expected that the delivery of tanks will take place in 2024.
The Netherlands and Denmark will equally share the costs of purchasing Leopard-2A4 tanks, which are estimated at 165 million euros.
The Netherlands is part of the so-called "international tank coalition", created to provide Ukraine with modern combat tanks. Earlier, the Netherlands, together with Denmark and Germany, purchased Leopard-1 tanks for Ukraine. In February, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands reached an agreement on the gratuitous transfer of at least 100 Leopard-1A5 tanks to Ukraine. It is expected that the first of them will be ready for the training of servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the coming weeks.
According to the Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands, the presence of the Leopard-2A4 main battle tank will provide Ukraine with superiority on the battlefield due to its large firepower, high level of protection and speed. Over the past few weeks, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have demonstrated the ability to master the operation of this tank in a short time.
The Netherlands and Denmark intend to explore other possible acquisitions of VIVT in order to support Ukraine.
The Netherlands will also take part in two initiatives aimed at the joint purchase of 155 mm artillery ammunition for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The sum of 130 million euros will be sent to the European Defense Agency (EDA), another 130 million euros will be allocated to the German initiative for the joint purchase of equipment.
A meeting of the Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine (UDCG) will be held in Ramstein (Germany) on April 21, during which the defense ministers of 50 countries will discuss issues of coordinating military support for Ukraine.
