Sweden to send 10 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine
Sweden will send 10 Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, as western efforts to provide Kyiv rapidly with heavy armour gather pace. Defence minister Pål Jonson said on Friday that the 10 Leopard 2A5s, modern variants of the German-built main battle tanks, would be delivered “as soon as possible”.
“It is absolutely right to contribute with heavy weapons systems,” Jonson said. “It is crucial for Ukraine.” Poland on Friday said the first of 14 Polish Leopard 2s pledged to Kyiv had arrived in Ukraine, while Germany said it would increase the number of Leopard 2A6 tanks it would send from 14 to 18. Spain on Thursday said it would provide six older Leopard 2s, but these would have to undergo extensive refurbishment.
The German government, which is spearheading efforts to assemble two battalions of Leopard tanks from various European armies, has expressed frustration that other capitals have hesitated to follow through on promises to provide tanks. Sweden is also providing two air defence systems, including a state of the art IRIS-T battery, which has already proved highly effective in shooting down Russian missiles in Ukraine.
https://www.ft.com/content/a05c3b2e-...2-bf55541d7b9c