Six Spanish Leopard tanks to leave for Ukraine in latter half of April as nation preps for spring offensive

Madrid: Six Leopard 2A4 tanks that Spain had pledged to send to Ukraine will leave for the war-ravaged country in the second half of April, Defence Minister Margarita Robles told state broadcaster TVE on Wednesday. The move by the Spanish government pushes back the estimated shipment date of the tanks meant to help Ukraine resist the continuous onslaught by the Russian troops in the eastern flanks of the country. The German-made battle tanks have not been used in active warfare since the 1990s and had been kept in reserve for decades now. They required refitting and battle readiness tests after initial doubts as to whether they could be used in combat again, given the passage of time. Last month in March, Spain said it expected to send the Leopard tanks after the April 9 Easter holidays. The Kyiv ally had committed to sending a total of 10 tanks to Ukraine, and Robles said the armed forces had started repairing the remaining four. Spain has also trained 40 tank crew members and 15 mechanics at a military base in the north-eastern city of Zaragoza. Countries allied to the NATO, including Germany, Poland and Portugal, have pledged to send a total of 48 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine ahead of its planned counter-offensive. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.