• Spain’s Defense Minister says mothballed Leopard tanks cannot be given to Ukraine.
• Margarita Robles says they are in a “deplorable state” and could pose a hazard to people firing them.
• Spain is considering sending roughly 40 German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine from a military facility in Zaragoza.

MADRID: Spain’s Defense Minister, Margarita Robles, stated on Tuesday that Spain cannot transfer its mothballed Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine because they are “in utterly horrible shape” and could pose a hazard to the people firing them.

According to the El Pais newspaper, Spain is considering sending roughly 40 German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine from a military facility in Zaragoza. In June, Robles indicated the prospect “was on the table.”

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On Tuesday, during a visit to a Madrid-area air base in Torrejon de Ardoz, Robles told reporters, “We are today looking at all the possibilities, but I can already say that the Leopards in Zaragoza that have not been used for many years cannot be sent because they are in an absolutely deplorable state.”

According to her, “We can’t give them away because they would be a risk to the people” if they were given away.

According to El Pais, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez made the offer to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a visit to Kyiv, but the preparations were put on hold due to the operation’s complexity, which also required approval from the German parliament.

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