German govt issues export licence for Leopard 1 tanks

The German government has issued an export licence for Leopard 1 battle tanks to Ukraine, spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said in Berlin on Friday, without giving further details, reported dpa.

Until now, the government had only decided to approve the delivery of modern Leopard 2 battle tanks from the military stocks of the Bundeswehr.

German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung had reported that manufacturers Rheinmetall and FFG wanted to refurbish dozens of Leopard 1 tanks and could supply them to Ukraine for the fight against Russia. However, the report added that there had been problems so far with procuring ammunition.

Last week, the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz decided after lengthy deliberations to supply Ukraine with 14 German Leopard 2 battle tanks, as well as allowing other states to deliver these German-made tanks to help the Ukrainian war effort.