Explainer-Why has Ukraine sought Leopard 2 battle tanks?

FILE PHOTO: Members of the military stand next to a tank, as Germany delivers its first Leopard tanks to Slovakia as part of a deal after Slovakia donated fighting vehicles to Ukraine, in Bratislava, Slovakia, December 19, 2022. REUTERS/Radovan Stoklasa

(Reuters) - Germany has agreed to send its Leopard 2 tank to Ukraine and allowed other countries using the German-built tank to re-export them, responding to months of pleading from Kyiv for extra firepower to break through Russian defensive lines.

Kyiv has been pushing for the Leopard 2 tank in particular because it has several advantages over the alternatives, such as Britain's Challenger 2 and the U.S. M1 Abrams tanks.