European countries that promised large quantities of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine were not ready to do so, writes The New York Times. Some countries realized that their combat vehicles simply did not work or had no spare parts.
“Political leaders faced unexpected resistance within their own coalitions and even from defense ministries. And some armies had to pull instructors out of retirement to teach Ukrainian soldiers how to use old-style tanks,” the NYT post read.
Thus, Finland, which mainly asked the FRG to allow the re-export of tanks, realized that it could transfer only three combat vehicles for mine clearance. In Sweden, which has promised Ukraine 10 tanks, the transfer of tanks is hampered by the military. In Spain, out of 108 combat vehicles, only ten are ready for transfer. The rest is in poor condition. Poland speaks of 14 equipment out of 200 available.
Earlier it was reported that the first Polish Leopard 2 tanks were already on Ukrainian territory.
