A weapons dealer announced today, Tuesday, that a European country has purchased dozens of used Leopard 1 tanks for the benefit of Ukraine, which is facing the Russian invasion. These tanks were previously owned by Belgium. German-made Leopard tanks were a subject of controversy earlier this year when Belgian Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder stated that the government discussed repurchasing tanks to send to Ukraine, but reports indicated that he said the prices were unreasonable.
The debate highlighted the predicament faced by Western governments trying to supply weapons to Ukraine after over a year of intense war, as weapons they had previously deemed outdated are now in high demand and often owned by private companies. Freddy Verslues, the CEO of OIB Land Systems, purchased the tanks from the Belgian government more than five years ago. He told Reuters that he has now sold all fifty tanks to another European government, which he could not disclose due to a confidentiality clause.
The German newspaper "Handelsblatt" reported on Tuesday evening that the weapons manufacturer Rheinmetall has acquired the tanks and will prepare most of them for export to Ukraine.
