Acting Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen visited Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft (FFG) on Friday to be updated on the work to prepare Leopard 1 tanks for Ukraine. The expectation remains that the first tanks will be delivered in the spring.
With broad support from the Danish Parliament, the government has entered into a collaboration with Germany and the Netherlands to donate at least 100 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine. On Friday afternoon, Acting Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen and State Secretary from the German Ministry of Defence, Thomas Hitschler, visited Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft (FFG) to be updated on the work to prepare the tanks.
"I am very excited to have visited FFG. I was there to see that the work to prepare Leopard 1 tanks for Ukraine is progressing so that we can get them going as soon as possible. I am proud that Denmark, in cooperation with other countries, supports the Ukrainian freedom struggle with a large and important donation, and we still hope to be able to deliver the first tanks to Ukraine during the spring," says Acting Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen.
The Minister of Defense visited the company FFG to discuss the ongoing renovation of Leopard 1 tanks as part of the Danish-German-Dutch donation of tanks to Ukraine.
Denmark launched the project to refurbish a large number of Leopard 1A5 tanks together with the Netherlands and Germany in early February. The first sub-goal of the project is to be able to deliver tanks to two battalions – corresponding to approximately 80 tanks – as quickly as possible. The first tanks are expected to be ready during the spring and will be used to train Ukrainian forces.
"Our cooperation on the donation of such a large number of Leopard 1 tanks goes well with other countries' delivery of tanks to Ukraine, and our joint project emphasizes the importance of cooperation between nations and industry. It is absolutely crucial for continued support for Ukraine," says Troels Lund Poulsen.
As part of the project, Ukraine will be offered education and training in the use of the tanks, as well as spare parts and an ammunition package.
The joint project is the latest example of Denmark's cooperation with other countries to address Ukraine's military needs. The project is open for more countries to join later.
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