Watch the video: Defense Minister specifies delivery date of Leopard tanks to Ukraine.
STORY: Boris Pistorius (SPD), Federal Defense Minister, on Thursday at a military training area in Altengrabow: “It was important to me right at the beginning of my term, i.e. now on my seventh working day, next week I’ll stop counting the days, the troops visit, to talk to the soldiers. And where can you do that better? So at the training ground here in Altengrabow, one of the most important military training areas that we have. A lot of training takes place here in the areas that you know, the I assume they were introduced to them. And I spoke to the soldiers. I found the exercise very impressive, with the Puma, with the basic variant. Anyone who still knows the marten will see the differences immediately. I’ll add as a personal note: When I came onto the site and drove across the site, I had a déjà vu and remembered my own military service, 40 years ago. And I’ll say it with my W orten: I’m glad to be with the troops. It’s a good feeling to be able to talk to the soldiers. And that is also the reason for this first visit to the troops. And I can say that it certainly won’t be the last.” // “That’s why my priority now is to start talks with the defense industry and ensure that procurement times are significantly reduced wherever possible or help out with material that is suitable for this. Of course, when it comes to ammunition in particular, there is also the question of quantity. As announced yesterday, I will also have initial talks with the armaments industry about this, probably as early as next week if the dates allow with them.” // “So the training of the Ukrainian forces on the Marder will begin shortly in Munster. As far as I know, as far as I know, in the next few days, i.e. by the end of January. And for the Ukrainian soldiers who will be trained on the Leopard, it will be a little later. In any case, as I said, the aim of the Leopards is that we will have the company in the Ukraine by the end of March, beginning of April, I can’t say the exact date.”