Finland’s political leadership is following the actions of Germany. The country’s authorities are watching whether Berlin would decide to hand over Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

Helsinki notes that they are ready to join the supply of tanks for Ukraine, provided several more states agree to this.

Yle reported this citing its own sources.

According to the media’s sources, the decision on whether to transfer the tanks has not yet been made. This matter could be considered when there will be a circle of countries ready to provide armored vehicles to Ukraine.

In addition, Finland highlights the need for its own protection, emphasizing that there are many countries in Europe operating Leopard tanks, but not all of them share the border with the Russian Federation. Therefore, according to Finnish officials, it would be better to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine with tanks coming from other countries.

It is also emphasized that the transfer of tanks to Ukraine requires re-export permission from Germany. After all, the transfer of such equipment means more substantial support for Ukraine compared to previous assistance packages.

In addition, the Ukrainian military should be provided with the training. Additionally, maintenance and repair of equipment, as well as spare parts, should be discussed in advance.

In addition, Finland pays close attention to the pace of tank production by Krauss-Maffei.

“If the pace was good, countries that provide Ukraine with their old tanks could instead purchase new ones,” says Yle.

In total, Finland is equipped with 200 Leopard 2 tanks.

Previously, Steffen Gebeshtwright, German government spokesman, mentioned that the country does not plan to transfer Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

At the same time, Poland stated it was ready to provide tanks to Ukraine together with other countries. This would cover about 10 units.

At the same time, the UK has already announced the likely transfer of 10 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine. This amount is enough to form one tank company.