Defense Minister: 'Tank coalition' meets at Ramstein, agrees to open service center for Leopard tanks

A coalition of countries that have delivered or pledged tanks to Ukraine met at the 11th Ramstein summit in Germany on April 21, according to Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov.

The coalition members signed the Letter of Intent to open a maintenance hub in Poland for Leopard 2 main battle tanks used by Ukrainian troops, Reznikov tweeted. The service center "will contribute to strengthening our cooperation and the capabilities of Ukrainian defenders," reads the post.

Earlier in the day, Reznikov arrived at the U.S. Ramstein air base to participate in the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, also known as the Ramstein summit, held to coordinate efforts to provide military aid to Ukraine.

"The 'armored fist' formed by collaborative efforts will thwart the terrorist regime's aggression against Europe and the entire free world… Modern Western technology will result in Moscow's defeat. The sooner it happens, the sooner peace will come," Reznikov wrote after the "tank coalition" meeting.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Jan. 31 that 12 countries had joined the "tank coalition," from which Ukraine was supposed to receive 120-140 tanks in the first round. Some coalition members have already delivered tanks to Ukraine, such as Poland, Germany, and the U.K.

Modern Western tanks can play a crucial role in Ukraine's planned spring counter-offensive. However, critics have pointed out their piecemeal delivery may hamper their strategic effectiveness.

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Kyiv IndependentIgor Kossov