Spain was the key for Germany to authorize the shipment of Leopard tanks to Ukraine. This was revealed by the Ukrainian Defense Minister, Oleksii Reznikov, during the press conference that he offered this Wednesday together with Minister Margarita Robles in Madrid, on his first visit to Spain.
“I want to tell you that the outbreak of our tank coalition arose after the private conversations I had with the minister,” Reznikov began. He then explained that when he explained the need for Leopard tanks, Robles told him that we could not send without the authorization of Germany, which was its manufacturer, but instead we could use the Leopard 2E that are deployed in Latvia to form to Ukrainian military.
With that offer, Reznikov called his German counterpart, who, upon learning of the offer from Spain, began the movements to be able to send cars. Thus, Germany has currently promised 18 of these Leopards to Ukraine. Spain is finalizing the maneuvers of the first six battle tanks that it will send to the front. As the minister has reported, they will be sent by sea along with 20 Armored Caterpillar Transport vehicles and they hope they will be in Ukraine by the end of the month. In addition, Spain is already repairing another four Leopards to complete the ten armored vehicles that we have promised Zelenski.
During the extensive press conference, in which Reznikov offered many details, the Ukrainian minister wanted to ask for help for the three armies. Thus, for the first time there has been talk of the Navy. “The Spanish Hankooks are making it easier for the ships to survive,” the minister has bluntly revealed. For the first time it is confirmed that Spain sent these missiles, keys according to Reznikov to ensure the safety of the ships that export grain and sunflower oil from the Ukrainian ports. The Ukrainian troops are very interested, he has affirmed, in everything that the Spanish Navy can contribute to them. Well, their efforts in the Black Sea are focused on the one hand on protecting the grain and on the other on recovering the occupied territories. “For this task we need ships, marine drones…we need more technical help of any kind that can support our Marine Corps and other components of the Navy,” he has asked. In fact, he was accompanied on this visit by the head of the Ukrainian Navy, “because it is necessary to guarantee maritime security”
In the field of defense of airspace, Minister Robles has been affirming for months that Spain cannot send planes, since we do not have the ones requested by Ukraine. However, Reznikov today has opened up to any kind of help: “For us, anti-aircraft systems are the priority, this includes everything that anti-aircraft defense may entail. And of course a combat aircraft is part of anti-aircraft defense. We are very interested in the new generation aircraft, the 4, the F16 and the products of the Swiss company Saab”. After asking the minister if Spain will now study sending some type of aircraft now that other needs have been opened up, Robles replied that “what Spain does not have, it cannot give.” “I am sure that there will come a day when a coalition of planes is born, it is a matter of time, money and certain political conversations. For us it is essential to destroy Russian dominance in the air,” Reznikov concluded.
Reznikov has taken advantage of his visit to Spain to also hold meetings with various companies in the Defense Industry. His intention is not only to talk about the purchase of ammunition and material, but rather that they want to propose “the creation of joint ventures” for an arms and ammunition factory.
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