UPDATE - Austria not to train Ukrainians on Leopard 2 tanks

UPDATES WITH GERMAN ANNOUNCEMENT AND MORE DETAILS; CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK

By Timur Kurez, Erbil Basay

GENEVA, BERLIN (AA) - Austria will not train Ukrainian soldiers on the Leopard 2 main battle tanks, Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner told public radio station O1 on Monday.

In a statement, Tanner said it was the "sovereign decision of each state" to "support Ukraine within the framework of its laws."

Austria had already declared in January that it would not supply Leopard 2 tanks from its inventory to Ukraine, citing its neutrality.

According to O1, however, foreign soldiers are being trained on the Leopard 2 tanks from the NATO countries Hungary and the Czech Republic.

Austria has a single tank battalion, stationed in Wels in Upper Austria, which has 48 Leopard 2 tanks.

Meanwhile, German Defense Ministry's spokesperson Nadine Kruger announced that the training of the Ukrainian tank crew, which will operate the Leopard 2 tanks started in a military facility in Munster of German State of Lower Saxony.

Training programs are expected to continue until the end of March, she added.

In a U-turn Last month, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that his country would send 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, and allow other countries to send their own stocks.