Norway says it has sent eight Leopard tanks to Ukraine

Eight German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks which Norway pledged to Ukraine have now been received by Kyiv, the Norwegian armed forces has announced.

Footage released by the Norwegian military on Wednesday (March 22) showed a Leopard 2A4 tank being transported by road to an undisclosed location on an undisclosed date, before being loaded onto an Antonov transport plane along with munitions and an armoured support vehicle.

The tanks were promised in late January, along with four special purpose tanks from its armoured engineering and bridge layer category, based on what Ukraine said it needed the most.

The Norwegian armed forces announced on its website on Monday (March 20) that the eight Leopard 2 tanks had been received, and the delivery was also confirmed to Reuters by email.

Kyiv has secured from several of its Western allies pledges to send modern battlefield tanks to help fend off Russia's invasion as Moscow steps up its efforts to make advances in eastern Ukraine.

Other NATO countries, including Germany, Poland and Portugal said they would deliver a total of 48 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

Norway, which shares a border with Russia in the Arctic, had 36 Leopard 2 tanks in total.

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