Canada joins the list of countries that will deliver their Leopard tanks to Ukraine

The Canadian government announced Thursday that it will join the list of countries that will make several Leopard tanks available to Ukraine, heavy artillery that the Ukrainian army needs to fight Russian forces on its territory.

Poland, Germany, the United States and Spain are some of the nations that have shown their support for the European country, which has been facing a Russian invasion since February 24.

There are a total of four operational tanks that Canada would send to Ukraine, a number that could increase according to Defense Minister Anita Anand. “These four tanks are combat ready and will be deployed in the coming weeks,” Anand confirmed at a press conference.

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Canada will also send experts to train Ukrainian soldiers in the operation of the tanks, the minister said.

The United States, its North American neighbor, had already promised 31 M1 Abrams main battle tanks. Norway also reported the shipment of those tanks on Wednesday, while Sweden said it did not rule out doing the same.

The increasing pressure from Volodimir Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, has been key in the rapid response of Western countries. Although Germany was initially reluctant to donate its tanks, it ended up confirming delivery of 14 Leopards and authorizing other nations to donate theirs.

On the other hand, Colombia announced that it will not donate its Russian-made weapons to the Ukrainian army. Gustavo Petro admitted on Tuesday that the United States made such a request but refused due to a constitutional order “in the international arena” that obliges governments to promote “peace.”