Rheinmetall ready to supply Ukraine with lots of ammunition for donated Leopard 2 tanks
Leopard tanks (Photo:REUTERS/Kacper Pempel)
German automotive and arms manufacturer Rheinmetall AG wants to provide a lot of ammunition for the Leopard battle tanks which are being donated to Ukraine by Germany, German news channel Tagesschau reported on Jan. 26.
The company said it has boosted its ammunition production capacity, especially for high-caliber munitions.
"We have invested heavily in this and will continue to do so by building new production facilities and recruiting additional personnel,” the company said.
“We are doing everything to support Ukraine, as well as NATO and the German government, including with the necessary ammunition."
The company said that thanks to the increased capacity of munition manufacturing, it would be able to respond to the higher demand of the German Army and other countries that use Leopard tanks.
On Jan. 25, Germany agreed to send 14 Leopard 2 tanks, as well as providing re-export licenses to other countries.
Leopard 2 battle tanks for Ukraine
On Jan. 20, during the Ramstein format meeting of NATO members defense ministers Germany didn't approve a decision on sending Leopard tanks to Ukrainian army, even though Ukraine and its allies had been anxiously awaiting a positive decision.
Nevertheless, other countries that possess these tanks went ahead with discussions about the matter at Ramstein.
Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said that training of Ukrainian army tank crews on the Leopards was agreed with the countries who have such tanks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier that a number of countries (Poland, Finland, Spain, Portugal and others) were ready to supply Ukraine with their Leopard 2 tanks as soon as Germany allowed their re-export.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that Warsaw did not rule out the creation of a coalition with countries that were ready to transfer part of their Leopard 2 to Ukraine, without the participation of Germany, if Berlin did not approve their delivery.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak earlier promised to transfer 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, making the United Kingdom the first Western country to supply heavy tanks to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
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