German companies offer government to send dozens of Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine - media

German companies have offered the government to prepare dozens of Leopard 1 tanks for delivery to Ukraine, while a bigger problem is the lack of ammunition.

That's according to Suddeutsche Zeitung, Ukrinform reports.

According to the report, Rheinmetall and Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft (FFG) propose preparing dozens of Leopard 1 tanks and can deliver them to Ukraine, but there have been problems with the purchase of ammunition so far. The same problem applies to the German-made Gepard tanks, which Ukraine already has in service.

The problem of shortage of ammunition has been discussed in Germany for a long time. The government promised to allocate an additional EUR 20 billion euros a special fund for its purchase. The budget for 2023 envisages EUR 1.125 billion for ammunition.

During his visit to Brazil last weekend, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz discussed the possibility of Brazil transferring tank ammunition to Ukraine, but got the refusal.

The German government earlier decided to supply Ukraine with 14 Leopard 2 battle tanks from Bundeswehr stocks and allowed other countries to send them to Ukraine. The German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall is ready to boost the production of tank and artillery ammunition in order to meet the high demand for them in Ukraine and in the West, said the company's CEO, Armin Papperger.