Germany is FINALLY sending crucial Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and allowing others to do so under international pressure

GERMANY finally gave in to Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s pleas and decided to broadcast its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, it is reported.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz had refrained from pitting the powerful vehicles against Vladimir Putin, fearing it would trigger World War III.

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But it is understood that in the face of huge international pressure, Scholz has now relented and will send the crucial tanks to Ukraine and allow other countries like Poland to do the same, German magazine Der Spiegel reports.

The decision affects at least one company of Leopard 2 A6 tanks provided from Bundeswehr stocks, the outlet said.

Other allies, for example in Scandinavia, reportedly intend to help Germany deliver their Leopard tanks to Kyiv.

According to the magazine, more tanks could be made operational again in the longer term.

Around 2,000 Leopard 2 tanks can be found in the ranks of NATO armies and footage shows exactly why they are so highly regarded.

Incredible footage shows a soldier balancing his pint on the Leopard 2’s barrel before driving off without spilling a drop to demonstrate how stable it is.

The tank was developed for the West German Army in the 1970s and entered service at the end of the decade.

It is powered by a diesel engine and is armed with a powerful 120mm gun and advanced night vision.

Germany’s about-face comes after it refused to lift a ban on sending tanks, as allies pledged last week to give Ukraine hundreds of heavy weapons to use in its fight against Russia.

Berlin refused to allow other countries to re-export them to Ukraine – but has now backed down.

Zelenskyi said at a defense chiefs meeting in Ramstein, Germany, that tanks were critical to victory.

He said: “Time remains a Russian weapon. We have to accelerate.”