The Minister of Defense of Spain, Margarita Robles, said that the government in Madrid had changed its mind to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine due to their “completely unsatisfactory” condition, writes “Ukrainian Pravda”.
“Today we are considering all possibilities, but I can already tell you that the Leopards, which have not been used for many years, cannot be (sent to Ukraine) because they are in a completely unsatisfactory condition,” Robles said, as quoted by El World.
According to her, the tanks went through several tests during which it was proved that their tanks could not be used.
“We can’t provide them because it would put people at risk,” Robles explained.
The Spanish government wanted to send tanks and armored vehicles to Ukraine
In July, the Spanish government headed by Pedro Sanchez announced that it was ready to send 10 German-made Leopard tanks and 20 M113 armored personnel carriers to Kyiv, which was a turning point in the socialist prime minister’s policy.
A group of Ukrainian experts visited Spain to check the condition of the equipment and determine the required level of renewal and modernization. German and US permits were also required for the transfer of equipment.
In June, the German authorities already rejected Spain’s offer to send about 40 Leopard tanks to Ukraine after their modernization.
German equipment in Ukraine already has problems
Last week, the Berlin media wrote that the howitzers and tanks sent by Germany to Ukraine are already having problems, only a month after their delivery.
Kyiv informed Germany’s defense ministry that some of the seven Panzerhaubitze 2000 guns delivered in late June were displaying error messages after intense shelling of Russian positions, indicating that several howitzers were in need of repair.
The German military believes that the problems are related to the high rate of fire with which the Ukrainian Armed Forces use weapons in the fight against the Russian invaders. Thus, the howitzer charging mechanism experiences a huge load.
There were also problems with the replenishment of ammunition for the Cheetah anti-aircraft tank, the first five systems of which were recently delivered to Ukraine.
During tests in Germany, it turned out that the Gepard firing system does not recognize the ammunition of the Norwegian manufacturer, so the shells must be improved.
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Source: Hot News RU
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