By Biodun Busari

Germany has finalised to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine after weeks of diplomatic pressure as the war against Russia nears its one year in February.

Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor confirmed this on Wednesday, marking a landmark moment in the West’s support for Kyiv that follows weeks of intense pressure on Berlin from some of its NATO allies.

According to CNN, Scholz told his Cabinet of his decision that Germany will further strengthen its military support for Ukraine.

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Speaking on this, German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said. “The Federal Government has decided to make Leopard 2 battle tanks available to the Ukrainian armed forces,” he said.

“This is the result of intensive consultations that took place with Germany’s closest European and international partners. This decision follows our well-known line of supporting Ukraine to Ukraine to the best of our ability.”

Also, the United States is finalising plans to send approximately 30 US-made Abrams tanks to Ukraine, according to sources.

The statement said the goal is to assemble two tank battalions with Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine.

In a first step, Berlin will offer a company of 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks from Bundeswehr stocks, with the training of the Ukrainian crews to commence quickly in Germany. In addition to training, the package will also include logistics, ammunition, and maintenance of the systems.

The German defense minister said the Leopard tanks could be operational in Ukraine in about three months. Boris Pistorius, speaking to reporters Wednesday, said the training would come first, then the tanks would be sent east.

CNN said the German army has 320 Leopard 2 tanks in its possession but does not reveal how many would be battle ready.

It will also allow other countries to export the battle tank, it said. Poland on Tuesday formally asked for approval from Germany to transfer some of its German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

Several European countries also own some Leopards, and Poland had led an effort to re-export those to Ukraine even if Germany was not on board.