These Leopards were allegedly sold by the Belgian Government to a private company, which in turn sold them to another European country.
Leopard 1 tank. Photo: Reuters
Freddy Versluys, CEO of defense company OIP Land Systems, purchased the tanks from the Belgian government more than five years ago.
He said the company had now sold all 50 tanks to another European government, which he could not name due to confidentiality clauses. He also said he could not disclose the price.
German newspaper Handelsblatt reported on Tuesday evening that arms maker Rheinmetall had bought the tanks and would prepare to export most of them to Ukraine.
The tanks are now being transported to a factory for overhaul, the newspaper said. Some will be used as spare parts. He estimated it could be four to six months before they see combat in Ukraine.
This highlights the lack of weapons the West has to send to Ukraine after more than a year of conflict, weapons that are in high demand and often in the hands of private companies.
Some of Kiev’s Western allies agreed earlier this year to send more modern Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. The Leopard 1 has been manufactured by Germany’s Krauss-Maffei since the 1960s.
Trung Kien (according to Reuters)
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