Danes, Dutch to donate Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine

COPENHAGEN: Denmark and the Netherlands announced Thursday that they plan to provide Ukraine with at least 14 refurbished German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks, to be supplied from early 2024.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen called it "a significant donation" which came on top of a contribution by Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany, announced in February, to supply at least 100 Leopard 1 A5 tanks.

In a joint statement, the Danish and Dutch defense ministers said the estimated cost of 165 million euros "to jointly acquire, refurbish and donate" will be equally divided between the two NATO members.

"In this way, we will jointly take part in the 'Leopard 2 coalition', supported by many partners and allies," they said.

In January, Germany agreed to send 14 newer Leopard 2 A6 tanks from its military's current stocks.

Acting Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen stressed that the tanks were not Danish but are "bought in collaboration with the Netherlands."

Denmark currently has Leopard 2 A7 tanks which are a "different and newer model than the one we are donating now," Lund Poulsen added.

The older Leopard 1, manufactured between the mid-1960s and the mid-1980s, was the first battle tank built for West Germany's Bundeswehr.