David Montagne
About fifty allied countries of Ukraine meet this Friday on the military base of Ramstein in Germany. Among the subjects to be discussed, NATO hopes to convince Berlin to deliver its Leopard 2 assault tanks to kyiv. But why are these German tanks so important for the rest of the war?
This Friday, European countries and the United States will meet at the German NATO base in Ramstein. NATO hopes to convince Berlin to deliver its famous Leopard 2 heavy tanks, exceptional tanks, to kyiv. Poland and Finland have them. They agreed to supply it to Ukraine. But why are these Leopard 2s so coveted by kyiv?
One of the most powerful combat vehicles in the world
The Leopard 2 is one of the most powerful armored fighting vehicles in the world, alongside the French Leclerc and the British Challenger. Developed by the German army in the early 1970s, it is 11 meters long and has a range of 450 kilometers. Very mobile, it can go up to 60 km/h on the road, and has a 120 mm gun.
Its firepower enjoys an excellent reputation internationally. The Leopard 2 has already been used in three theaters of military operations: in Kosovo, Syria and Afghanistan. Since 2007, Germany has built more than 3,200 of these third-generation tanks. To obtain this little gem of technology, you have to pay nearly 7 million euros. Germany now has only 245.
On the eve of the meeting in Ramstein, Washington announced a new military aid of 2.5 billion dollars to kyiv as well as the delivery of new armored vehicles. Denmark, for its part, will send the 19 Caesar guns it has just purchased from France.