BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - German defense contractor Rheinmetall has indicated that a delivery of refurbished Leopard main battle tanks from its stocks to Ukraine would take time. "Even if the decision is made tomorrow to allow us to send our Leopard tanks to Kiev, the delivery will take until early next year," CEO Armin Papperger told Bild am Sonntag.

Rheinmetall has 22 Leopard 2 vehicles and 88 of the older Leopard 1 model, the newspaper reported, citing Papperger. The Rheinmetall chief said it would take "just under a year" to repair the decommissioned main battle tanks. "The vehicles are not only repainted, but have to be rebuilt for wartime use. They will be completely disassembled and then rebuilt." Rheinmetall cannot repair the tanks without a contract, he said, because the cost would be in the hundreds of millions of euros. "Rheinmetall cannot pre-finance that," Papperger said.

Pressure on the German government to supply Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine had recently increased further. On Wednesday, Poland had declared its willingness to provide Ukraine with Leopard 2 main battle tanks for the defensive fight against Russia, together with alliance partners. Finland indicated cautious readiness for a delivery on Thursday. Germany plays a key role in the debate because the tanks were developed in Germany. As a rule, the transfer of armaments from German production to third parties must be approved./sku/DP/nas