Spanish Leopard 2 tanks on their way to Ukraine

(CNN) six Leopard 2 tank Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said on Saturday that those bound for Ukraine left the Spanish coastal city of Santander in northern Spain on their way to their destination.

Robles told reporters the tanks left Santander “with 20 heavy trucks” and the cruise would take five to six days.

And she said: “In six days they will pass another country, they will be in Ukraine.”

Robles said last week that four more Leopard tanks, in addition to the existing six, would be sent to Ukraine after repairs “as soon as possible”.

Reuters reported that 40 tank crew members and 15 mechanics were trained in Spain.

Ukraine was relying on outdated Soviet-era tanks during the Russian invasion and appealed to the West for modern battle tanks to support Kiev’s forces.

Tiger relatively low Experts said maintenance requirements compared to other tank models mean it will be well suited to the needs of Ukrainians.

Many militaries around the world use leopards and are believed to be there About 2,000 Leopard 2 vehicles Scattered across Europe, at different levels of readiness.

In recent months, the United States, along with countries such as Poland, Finland and the United Kingdom, have pledged to send tanks to Ukraine.

After international pressure, Germany It announced a major decision in January to send Leopard 2 tanks to Kievan forces – Surge Angered by Kremlin officials who sought to portray this step as an act of aggression against Russia.