Canada sends first Leopard 2 battle tank to Ukraine

Canada has sent the first of several Leopard 2 tanks planned to be delivered to Ukraine, Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand has announced.

"Today, an RCAF_ARC [Royal Canadian Air Force] aircraft departed Halifax carrying the first Leopard 2 main battle tank that Canada is sending to Ukraine," Anand said on Twitter on Saturday.

Canada would continue to provide equipment to Kiev, she added.

In January, Anand said that Canada was going to send four Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine and train Ukrainian troops on how to use the new armored capability. She said that the German-made tanks were battle-ready and would be deployed in the coming weeks, unlike the M1 Abrams main battle tanks pledged by the United States, which are expected to take months to reach the battlefield.

Canada could also send more tanks in the future based on consultations with allies, the Defence Minister said.

On Friday, German cabinet spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said that the German government had approved exports of Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine, giving no details on how many tanks would be supplied.

In April 2022, Moscow sent a note to NATO member states condemning their military assistance to Kiev after Russia started its military operation in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that providing Ukraine with weapons was not conducive to peace negotiations and would have a detrimental effect on the conflict.