Top Ukrainian diplomat says country to receive 120 - 140 tanks from allies

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Tuesday that Kyiv will receive up to 140 tanks from its allies, as the West pledged tank deliveries following Germany’s approval to allow the transfer of Leopard 2 tanks.

“In the first wave of contributions, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will receive from 120 to 140 units of modern tanks of Western models. These are Leopard 2, Challenger 2, M1 Abrams. And we are counting very much on Leclerc,” Kuleba said in a news conference shared by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.

Noting that the tank coalition currently has 12 members, Kuleba said it is too early to name all of the countries participating and their contributions because some of them have not made a formal decision “according to their internal procedures.”

He said Ukraine “continues to work both on expanding memberships to the tank coalition and on increasing the contributions made from participants already declared.”

Germany announced last Wednesday it will supply 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv, train Ukrainian troops to use the tanks and provide licenses to other European countries that wish to supply Leopards from their stock.

The US will send 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine and the training of Ukrainian troops will begin "as soon as possible," according to President Joe Biden.

The UK, Poland, Canada, Spain, and Norway officially voiced plans to provide Kyiv with tanks.​​​​​​​