Ukrainian soldiers will begin training on Leopard 2 tanks next week as part of a European Union-funded training mission, as Kyiv’s allies seek to deploy the newly promised vehicle ahead of a feared Russian attack this spring.
Two people familiar with the preparations said they were all set to begin training Ukraine’s military to deploy modern battle tanks after several European countries last week pledged to send them to Kyiv after months of deliberations and Ukrainian pressure.
Berlin’s decision to send German-made Leopard 2s marks a turning point in western support for Ukraine by agreeing to supply a large number of modern NATO-standard main battle tanks.
Germany also agreed to other countries that operate tanks to send to Ukraine. That can only happen after enough Ukrainian tank crews have been trained to use it.
Final details of the training plan were released at a US-led meeting of western defense officials in Germany on Wednesday. The training is estimated to last about six weeks.
Josep Borrell, the European Union’s defense and security chief, said before a meeting with Ukrainian defense officials in Kyiv on Thursday that “battle tank crews” would be trained in EU missions, describing the vehicle as a “powerful reinforcement of Ukraine’s military capabilities”.
“Exercises will start from next week,” one of the people said, adding that hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers had already flown to locations in Germany and Poland. “Everything went very fast because Ukrainians saw the urgency.”
“Politically, it has been cleared,” another official said.
The news comes as the European Union on Thursday announced plans to train 30,000 Ukrainian troops through a training mission, doubling the planned number.
The European Union will also increase the budget of the mission by €45 million, and raise the funding for weapons provided to Ukraine by €500 million to €3.6 billion.
The EU established the initiative in October, with an initial duration of two years. This unprecedented step is aimed at pooling member states’ capabilities to teach Ukrainians how to use western weapons that are provided to Kyiv, and to provide “individual, collective and specialized training” for the forces.
European defense officials quickly tackled a variety of practical problems, including securing enough beds and kitchens to house Ukrainian soldiers and finding enough translators.
Officials also faced challenges in how to transport vehicles to the front lines. “If you want to bring it on time, before April, you can imagine how many trains, cars you have to get there,” said one official. “It’s just a vehicle. [There are] as well as spare parts, ammunition – and time is limited.