On Friday, the Lithuanian Defense Material Agency sent the German Ministry of Defense a letter of intent regarding the purchase of Leopard tanks, but stressed that this does not mean that a final decision has been made regarding the purchase of the tanks.
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“A letter of intent was sent today,” the ministry informed.
As the ministry explained, such a document gives Lithuania the opportunity to receive information about tanks and discuss detailed information that will be necessary if Vilnius decides to join the contract of the German Ministry of Defense with the “Leopard” manufacturer.
“The declaration of intent does not mean legal obligations, but the German Ministry of Defense will take into account the intentions of the parties when determining the overall demand for new tanks in negotiations with the manufacturer,” commented the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense.
Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvīds Anušauskas told journalists on Monday after the meeting of the State Defense Council that Lithuania plans to purchase Leopard tanks. He emphasized that the final decision has not been made and refused to give further comments.
After Anušauskas was criticized for opaque plans to buy tanks, the minister explained the rationale for such a choice in a Facebook post. However, it earned the condemnation of the President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėdas, because, in the president’s opinion, the minister should not have made such information public.
Both Anušauskas and the Ministry of Defense emphasized that no secret information was revealed in the “Facebook” post.
Lithuania is purchasing tanks as part of its plan to create an army division. Although the cost of purchasing tanks is not yet known, the estimates of the Ministry of Defense show that the creation of an army division by 2030 will require an average of 200 million euros per year. To select the tanks, defense officials have evaluated offers from three manufacturers.
As Anusauskas announced, Lithuania evaluated tank offers from German, US and South Korean companies. The proposed delivery time for all tanks was between four and six years. Although the purchase of American “Abrams” and “Leopard” is easier and faster, and both tanks are similar, the maintenance costs of German tanks are much lower, the Lithuanian Defense Minister said.
“Leopard” is used in 23 countries of the world, 14 of which are NATO members. As Anušauskas emphasized, the Lithuanian army uses other armament systems produced in Germany, so it would be easier to include “Leopard” in the armament system.
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2023-07-28 18:46:37
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