The Czech Republic will receive 14 more Leopard 2A4 tanks and an additional Bergepanzer 3 Buffel armored recovery vehicle from Germany.

The Czech Defense Ministry said that the German equipment was being transferred in exchange for Czech assistance to Ukraine.

The Ministry of Defense signed the document on the transfer of tanks on Wednesday.

In exchange for the aid to Ukraine, Germany also gave the Czech Republic 14 Leopard 2A4 tanks and one armored recovery vehicle in 2022 and 2023.

The Czech Defense Ministry has also launched preliminary market consultations for the purchase of additional Leopard 2A4 tanks.

In February, Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced the possibility of buying 15 more Leopard 2A4 tanks from Germany.

In total, the Czech Republic will receive 42 Leopard 2A4 tanks and three armored recovery vehicles.

“The modernization of our tank army continues. We are replacing Soviet-era equipment with new, modern vehicles that can withstand the modern battlefield. This is an important step forward for our tank crews. I would also like to thank Germany for appreciating our assistance to Ukraine, which is facing brutal Russian aggression, in this way,” Defense Minister Jana Černochová said.

In June of this year, the government also decided to join an agreement led by Germany on the joint purchase of Leopard 2A8 tanks with other European countries.

The Czech Republic is to pay 52.1 billion Kč for 77 tanks in six versions. The Czech Republic and Germany are now discussing, among other things, industrial cooperation.

According to the ministry’s previous statement, the procurement contract is to be concluded by the end of this year, and the government will re-approve the terms of the negotiations before it is signed.

Leopard 2A4 and Leopard 2A8 tanks are to replace Soviet-era equipment, and the Czech army may have up to 122 of them after 2030.