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Supply of Leopard tanks to Ukraine to weaken Bundeswehr — German expert

The Union of Bundeswehr military personnel is an independent organization representing the interests of 200,000 active and retired soldiers and reservists

© Sean Gallup/Getty Images

BERLIN, January 25. /TASS/. The supply of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine will have a negative impact on the defense capability of Germany, the head of the Union of Bundeswehr military personnel, Andre Wuestner, said on the ZDF TV channel on Wednesday.

He noted that this is "good for Ukraine, but bad for the combat readiness of the Bundeswehr." The government, he said, must strengthen the defense industry in Germany, if it wants to "support not only Ukraine, but also its own defense capability."

"The truth is that since February we have been distributing weapons and ammunition. At the same time, we are still in a state of free fall. We have not yet achieved changes regarding our own defense capability," he stressed.

The Union of Bundeswehr military personnel is an independent organization representing the interests of 200,000 active and retired soldiers and reservists.

On Tuesday, Der Spiegel magazine reported Berlin's decision to supply Ukraine with a Leopard 2 tank company from the Bundeswehr's reserves. In addition, the German government plans to let Poland and a number of other countries to export such equipment to Kiev.

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