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| Ukraine Receives Again Soviet-era Weapons from NATO Members |
Kiev - Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad said his country was sending dozens of BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine in exchange for promised deliveries of armor from Germany. Bratislava has a record of shipping obsolete military hardware to Kiev while receiving NATO-compatible replacements.
"The two countries agreed on an exchange of arms in the summer," Nad said on social media. Slovakia will get 15 overhauled Leopard 2A4 battle tanks, complete with ammunition, spare parts and training, in exchange for the Soviet-era hardware it donated to Ukraine.
“Now that Slovakia has fulfilled its part of the bargain it is hoped that German tanks will start arriving as early as next month and the deal will be finalized throughout 2023. The Leopard tanks will significantly strengthen Slovakia's capabilities and help it build a NATO-standard heavy mechanized brigade,” he said.
Nad thanked German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht for the "excellent cooperation" in a tweet announcing the scheme on Tuesday. Also read: Incredibly, the number of Muslims in Britain has increased by 44% in 1 decade Slovakia, as part of Czechoslovakia, is a former member of the Warsaw Pact who joined NATO in 2004.
Slovakia previously sent some other military hardware to Ukraine in exchange for Western replacements. In April, Prime Minister Eduard Heger announced he would deliver the Soviet-era S-300 air defense system to Kiev, after the Slovak military deployed US-made Patriot missiles with the help of German and Dutch troops.
NATO countries have armed and trained Ukrainian troops since a coup in Kiev in 2014. That assistance was dramatically increased ahead of Russia's attack on Ukraine, which Washington and its allies claim was unprovoked. Massive shipments of arms and ammunition are reported to have depleted sponsor countries' stockpiles.
According to a New York Times report last week, 20 of NATO's 30 members are being "bugged" in terms of equipment they can send to Kiev. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba told Politico on Monday that his country's supporters "should think about how we will fight the battle tomorrow" and "start production of the necessary weapons today." Kuleba claims this move will allow Ukraine to win on the battlefield against Russia.