Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht has delivered the first of 15 promised Leopard tanks to Slovakia, writes the Handelsblatt newspaper on 19 December.
The symbolic handover took place at a ceremony with his Slovak counterpart, Jaroslav Nagy, on Monday in Bratislava. Lambrecht is reported to have arrived in Slovakia on a two-day visit.
It should be noted that Slovakia, in a NATO country directly bordering Ukraine, has already deployed German Patriot air defense systems as part of the air defense task force. Also, German troops are stationed in Slovakia as part of a multinational battlegroup.
Earlier, Slovakia transferred 30 Soviet-type BMP1 infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine as part of a ring exchange, which was agreed in the summer. At that time, Lambrecht agreed with Nagy that Germany would supply Slovakia with 15 Leopard 2 A4 main battle tanks.
The German company Rheinmetall plans to deliver the remaining 14 Leopard tanks to Slovakia by the end of 2023. The Slovak soldiers have already been trained in Germany in tank handling.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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