Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said today, Saturday, that his country will send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, but did not specify the number.
Costa added that Portugal is in talks with Germany to obtain spare parts needed to repair a number of broken Leopard tanks in Portuguese armories.
“We are currently working on decommissioning some of our tanks,” Costa told the Lusa news agency during a visit to the Central African Republic. “I know how many tanks (we will send to Ukraine), but that will be announced in due course.”
Costa’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Portugal’s armed forces chief, Admiral Antonio Silva Ribeiro, said last month that his country had 37 Leopard 2 tanks, but local media widely reported that most of them were inoperable.
Costa stated that Portugal is communicating with Germany to obtain the spare parts needed to repair the non-functioning tanks, expressing his hope to deliver them to Ukraine by the end of March.
The Defense Department said it would not comment on the “operability of weapon systems and equipment” for security reasons.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said last week that the country would receive 120 to 140 tanks from the West in a “first wave” of tanks provided by a coalition of 12 countries.
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