Spain Plans to Send Up to 6 Leopard 2A4 Tanks to Ukraine, Media Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Spanish government is going to send from four to six Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine and is discussing the plans with the country's military industry, Spanish media reported on Wednesday, citing sources in the government.

The ultimate decision on the number of tanks to be shipped to Ukraine will depend on the condition of 53 tanks stationed in reserve at the Zaragoza base for decades, the media stated.

Commissioning costs for each tank could exceed 500,000 euros ($544,000), and a training course for this type of tanks will take up to two and a half months, with as many as 10 crews from the Ukrainian military expected to be trained, according to Spanish media.

Last week, Germany committed to sending 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks to Ukraine, after being repeatedly pushed to do so by some of its EU and NATO allies. The United States said it would send Ukraine 31 Abrams tanks and eight M88 recovery vehicles, noting that that delivery would take considerable time. On January 15, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the country would send 14 of its Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine.

Western countries ramped up their military support for Ukraine after Russia launched a special military operation there on February 24, 2022, responding to calls for help from the republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. In April, Moscow sent a note to NATO member states condemning their military assistance to Kiev after Russia started its military operation in Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that any arms shipments on Ukrainian territory would be "legitimate targets" for Russian forces.