Germany, Denmark, Netherlands to provide at least 100 Leopard 1 tanks for Kyiv

FILE PHOTO: Dozens of German-made Leopard 1 tanks and other armoured vehicles, owned by Freddy Versluys the CEO of Belgian defence company OIP Land Systems, who said could help Ukraine if he received export permits from the Belgian regional government of Wallonia and from Germany to sell them, are seen in a hangar in Tournais, Belgium January 31, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman

BERLIN (Reuters) -Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands will pool funds to restore at least 100 old Leopard 1 tanks from industry stocks and supply them to Ukraine, according to a joint statement published on Tuesday.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, on a surprise visit to Kyiv, said between 20 and 25 of the tanks would arrive by summer, about 80 by the end of the year and another 100 in 2024, according to a statement by Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov's office after the counterparts met.