Spain Sends New Batch of Aid to Ukraine with 10 Leopard Tanks

Spain is sending a new batch of military aid to Ukraine, which includes ten Leopard 2A4 battle tanks, several backhoe loaders and anti-tank missiles.

This was reported by the country’s Ministry of Defence.

"The multimodal transportation of 10 Leopard 2A4 battle tanks to Ukraine has begun, which have undergone the process of repair, adjustment and readiness at the Santa Barbara Sistemas plant in Alcalá de Guadaira, as well as appropriate tests to verify their full performance," the statement said.

The ministry noted that "a new batch of aid will arrive in Poland this weekend, after which it will be delivered to the Ukrainian military."

It is also noted that with the new batch of Leopard 2A4 tanks, Spain has handed over a total of 20 such tanks to Ukraine and plans to prepare another batch in the second half of 2024.

On 20 May, it became known that Spain would transfer a second batch of Leopard tanks to Ukraine, as well as missiles for the Patriot system.

Earlier, Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles had already announced the transfer of a set of long-range anti-aircraft interceptor missiles for the Patriot to Ukraine. She also said that the preparation of new Leopard battle tanks for delivery to Ukraine was going according to plan, and that the first units would be ready by the end of June.

The media reported that it would be a small batch of missiles for the Patriot, as Spain's military reserve is about 50 units and interceptors are very expensive, the newspaper said.

As The Gaze previously reported, Spain will provide Ukraine with €1 billion in military aid this year and an additional €5 billion for the period 2024-2027 through the Ukraine Assistance Fund under the European Peace Fund. This is provided for in the bilateral security agreement signed between the two countries.