The defense minister said this Wednesday that the government was still negotiating with Germany to return the Leopard 2 tanks, reiterating that “some units” would be sent to Ukraine before the end of March.
Speaking to reporters in Viseu, Helena Carreiras confirmed her intention to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine by the end of March, as Prime Minister António Costa announced.
“What I can say is not much, as we are still negotiating with Germany on how to develop this work, which will allow us to repair many of our tanks and then send some of the units to Ukraine,” the governor said.
On Saturday, António Costa assured Lusa that Portugal would hand over the Leopard 2 tanks to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, adding that a logistical operation was underway with Germany to return some of the tanks.
“We are currently working on ditching some of our tanks. I know how many tanks there will be [enviados para a Ucrânia]but this will be communicated at the appropriate time,” the chief executive said.
According to the prime minister, Portugal is working with Germany to “allow a logistics operation to supply parts in order to complete the restoration of some vehicles.” [de combate] that were not in working order.
“An operation that is designed to transfer tanks to Ukraine, while, of course, Portugal will not lose its military potential intact. It is obvious that Portugal also has obligations within NATO, which we cannot but fulfill in terms of the availability of equipment for interventions if necessary” he warned.
This Wednesday, the Minister of Defense is in Viseu to follow the activities of the General Staff of the Armed Forces “Alista-te por um dia” and “Portugal and the Armed Forces” as part of the dissemination program on the armed forces.