Lithuania wants to buy German Leopard tanks

Lithuania has said it will seek to buy a battalion of German Leopard 2 tanks as the Baltic state bolsters its defenses amid the Russia-Ukraine war, AFP reported.
The NATO member and staunch ally of Kiev, which neighbors the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad as well as Moscow's ally Belarus, has expressed concerns about its security since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly two years ago.
"The State Security Council agreed that the most effective tank is the German Leopard 2," said the security adviser to the Lithuanian president, Kestutis Budris.
He added that the Ministry of Defense has been tasked with starting negotiations for a tank battalion.
Typically, such units consist of several dozen tanks, but officials declined to specify the quantity and cost.
Budris said last year that the tanks could cost around 2 billion euros in total.
The project is the latest example of strengthening ties between Vilnius and Berlin.
Germany plans to deploy one brigade - about 5,000 soldiers and civilians - to Lithuania by 2027.
Vilnius has also purchased other military equipment from Germany, including Boxer infantry fighting vehicles and self-propelled 155mm howitzers. /BGNES