Spain agreed to train the Ukrainian military to operate the Leopard

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov officially addressed his Spanish counterpart Margarita Robles with a request to teach the Ukrainian military to operate Leopard battle tanks and, according to sources, Madrid has agreed to accept 54 Ukrainians for training.

This was reported by the Spanish radio network Cadena SER.

According to sources in the Spanish Ministry of Defense, Madrid has developed training for the Ukrainians for a period of two and a half months. So far, Spain has not detailed exactly how many tanks it plans to supply to Ukraine.

Robles clarified Thursday that Spain, in coordination with its allies, will do its part by sending Leopard 2A4 tanks, El Mundo reported. They are expected to be selected from a warehouse in Zaragoza, where 53 vehicles are stored. Now the Defense Ministry wants a private company to inspect the tanks and estimate how many of them can be transferred to Kyiv.

Robles said the tanks will not arrive in Ukraine until spring. "The physical presence of the Leopard is not needed until the spring, and we should take advantage of this time to brief them," she said.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was the first European leader to offer Ukraine Leopard tanks back in the summer. However, in August, Defense Minister Margarita Robles assured that they were in "absolutely deplorable condition" and could not be used.

Author - Olena Madiak, 27/01/2023