Denmark and the Netherlands have agreed to purchase an additional 14 Leopard 2A4 tanks for the Ukrainian armed forces, further strengthening their foreign support. This new agreement will increase the number of Leopard 2s in Ukraine's arsenal from its foreign allies.
The plan involves Copenhagen and Amsterdam funding and refurbishing A4s belonging to another country before delivering them to Ukraine. However, these tanks are not expected to arrive until early 2024, which means they will not be part of the initial force of 71 other Leopard 2S during Ukraine’s long-planned counteroffensive in 2023.
The Danish-Dutch tank pledge offers insights into Kyiv's long-term plans for its tank force. One such initiative includes setting up a facility in Poland specifically designed for repairing Ukrainian Leopard-2 tanks.
"The establishment of this infrastructure is a crucial step towards building a more robust and enduring Ukrainian tank fleet," says Oleksandr Danylyuk, Defense Analyst at National Security Institute.
In addition to the Leopards provided by Denmark and The Netherlands, Western countries continue supporting Ukraine with military equipment. The United States has committed an initial batch of tungsten-armored M1-A1 tanks equipped with a similar smoothbore gun as those found on the Leopard-2 models.
"This generous supply from our friends in Europe demonstrates their commitment towards ensuring peace and stability within our borders," states Andriy Taranovych Ihorovych, spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. "This assistance goes beyond just providing hardware; it also represents invaluable expertise that we can leverage."
Despite ongoing tensions between Russia-backed separatists and government forces in eastern Ukraine since annexation Crimea back in April 2014, Kyiv remains determined about enhancing its defense capabilities through international cooperation agreements like these ones involving Denmark-Netherlands' contributions alongside US's pledges.
As Ukraine works towards building a larger, long-term Leopard fleet and strengthens its military capabilities, it remains clear that the country is dedicated to maintaining sovereignty and security in the face of ongoing challenges.