The Netherlands will supply Ukraine with ammunition and spare parts for Leopard 2 main battle tanks, as well as participate in the training of Ukrainian tank crews, the Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren told De Telegraaf.
"It doesn't make much sense just to deliver the tanks," explains the minister. "We have to deliver a complete package."
During a press conference at NATO headquarters on Feb. 15, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that the Dutch contribution amounts to 20,000 rounds of ammunition, according to De Telegraaf.
Ollongren added that the Netherlands is "the only country within the tank coalition that doesn't own tanks," as it leases its 18 Leopard 2 tanks from Germany.
"With Germany, it was decided that tanks from another battalion would be better suited to deliver to Ukraine," the Dutch Defense Ministry's spokeswoman Sascha Louwhoff told Reuters earlier.
"If Germany would have decided to send tanks from our bi-national battalion, we would not have opposed this. Nor will we oppose if they decide to send them at a later moment," Louwhoff added.
The German news source Welt reported on Feb. 14 that the governments of the Netherlands and Denmark had decided not to deliver Leopard 2 tanks.
In late January, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that the Netherlands was considering buying the 18 Leopard 2 tanks from Germany to provide them to Ukraine.
(Updated: )
