What are Leopard 2 and M1 Abrams battle tanks and what armoured vehicles are NATO countries sending to Ukraine?
After weeks of indecision, Germany has announced it will send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and allow other countries to do the same.
Ukraine has pleaded for months for Western nations to send modern tanks to give its forces the firepower they need to retake territory occupied by Russia.
Kyiv is widely expected to mount another counteroffensive in the spring after hugely successful drives last year that seized big chunks of territory around Kharkiv in the east and liberated Kherson in the south.
Russia sends warning to US over tanks – Ukraine war latest
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, says his forces need more and heavier weapons – in particular Western tanks – to push the Russians back.
After the UK led the way in promising 14 of its Challenger 2 tanks, Germany has now agreed to send 14 of its own Leopard 2 tanks as well as authorise other countries to do the same as it owns the export licence.
The US is understood to be preparing to announce that it will supply Kyiv with a number of its M1 Abrams tanks – perhaps as part of an agreement with Berlin.
So what are the Leopard 2, M1 Abrams and Challenger 2 tanks, and which other Western armoured vehicles are being sent to Ukraine?
Leopard 2 – Germany’s main battle tank used by various NATO countries
Ukraine has long urged the West to send tanks to help its forces fight Russia, and at the top of the list has been the Leopard 2.
Considered a main battle tank in the same way as the Challenger 2 and first introduced in 1979, it offers good protection against armour-piercing rounds and anti-tank guided weapons.
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It has been reported that the Leopard 2 was estimated to be able to penetrate frontal armour of the Soviet-made T-72 tank from 2,000 metres away and that of the T-62 from more than 4,000 metres – both of which are in use by the Russian military in Ukraine.
M1 Abrams: Highly manoeuvrable but poor fuel efficiency
After weeks of discussion, the Biden administration is preparing to send Abrams tanks to Ukraine, according to three senior US officials.
It has a 1,500-horsepower turbine engine – notoriously low on fuel efficiency – and a 120mm main gun.
The tank can make a difference on the battlefield through “lethal firepower, unparalleled survivability, and audacious manoeuvre”, the US army says.
Any agreement to supply Ukraine with Abrams tanks is likely to be perceived as an effort to persuade Germany to authorise donation of the Leopard 2, which uses less fuel and is widely available in Europe.
The M1 Abrams tank could be headed for Ukraine. Pic: AP
Challenger 2: British tank buster that has ‘never’ been destroyed
The British Challenger 2 is a main battle tank that has been used on operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Iraq.
First introduced into service with the British Army in 1994, a number of Challenger 2s are deployed in Estonia as part of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence in the Baltic States.
It features a main 120mm rifled gun and has a crew of four – commander, gunner, loader/operator and a driver.
The British Army says it has “never experienced a loss at the hands of the enemy”.
British soldiers patrol in two Challenger 2 tanks in the desert near Basra, Iraq in 2006. Pic: AP
Bradley fighting vehicle: Armoured infantry transport from the US
Earlier this month, the White House announced that it will be delivering dozens of its Bradley fighting vehicles to Ukraine as well as hundreds of the anti-tank missiles they can fire.
While not a tank, strictly speaking, Pentagon press secretary Brigadier General Pat Ryder said they provide “a level of firepower and armour that will bring advantages on the battlefield”.
Bradleys are armoured vehicles that can transport infantry in combat zones and are often equipped with a 25mm M242 Bushmaster chain gun as their main weapon along with an anti-tank missile system.
Mr Zelenskyy hailed the move: “For the first time, we will get Bradley armoured vehicles – this is exactly what is needed.
“New guns and rounds, including high-precision ones, new rockets, new drones. It is timely and strong.”
American soldiers drive a Bradley fighting vehicle in Syria in 2021. Pic: AP
Marder infantry fighting vehicles from Germany
Before the decision on the Leopards, Germany had said it wanted to deliver around 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine before the end of March.
Resembling a light tank in some ways, the Marder can carry five or six troops and is one of the largest and heaviest of its type.
Germany has large numbers of Marders in storage and vice chancellor Robert Habeck said Berlin could ultimately send its entire functioning fleet of the weapons.
Soldiers follow a Marder infantry fighting vehicle during a demonstration event in 2011. Pic: AP
AMX-10 RC: France’s ‘light tank’ designed for recon missions
The French defence ministry said it will hold talks with its Ukrainian counterpart to arrange for the delivery of armoured combat vehicles.
Designated as “light tanks” in French, the AMX-10 RC carries a 105mm cannon and two machine guns.
It’s primarily designed for reconnaissance missions and has enough armour to protect against light infantry weapons, according to the French defence ministry.
It has wheels rather than tracks, allowing it to be more mobile than heavy tanks.
French-made AMX-10 RC light tanks have wheels rather than tracks. Pic: AP/French Army
World
Body of missing rabbi Zvi Kogan found in UAE – as Israeli PM says he was murdered in ‘antisemitic terror incident’
The COP29 climate talks have reached a last ditch deal on cash for developing countries, pulling the summit back from the brink of collapse after a group of countries stormed out of a negotiating room earlier.
The slew of deals finally signed off in the small hours of Sunday morning in Azerbaijan includes one that proved hardest of all – one about money.
Eventually the more than 190 countries in Baku agreed a target for richer polluting countries such as the UK, EU and Japan to drum up $300bn a year by 2035 to help poorer nations both curb and adapt to climate change.
It is a far cry from the $1.3trn experts say is needed, and from the $500bn that vulnerable countries like Uganda had said they would be willing to accept.
But in the end they were forced to, knowing they could not afford to live without it, nor wait until next year to try again, when a Donald Trump presidency would make things even harder.
Bolivia’s lead negotiator Diego Pacheco called it an “insult”, while the Marshall Islands’ Tina Stege said it was “not nearly enough, but it’s a start”.
UN climate chief Simon Stiell said: “This new finance goal is an insurance policy for humanity, amid worsening climate impacts hitting every country.
“No country got everything they wanted, and we leave Baku with a mountain of work still to do. So this is no time for victory laps.”
The funding deal was clinched more than 24 hours into overtime, and against what felt like all the odds.
The talks were rocked from the start by the incoming presidency of climate denier Mr Trump, the moment Argentina’s team were recalled back to Buenos Aires by their right-wing president and a controversial letter that sent shockwaves through the United Nations.
Pic: AP
The fraught two weeks of negotiations pitted the anger of developing countries who are footing the bill for more dangerous weather that they did little to cause, against the tight public finances of rich countries.
A relieved Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez, climate envoy for Panama, said there is “light at the end of the tunnel”.
Just hours ago, the talks almost fell apart as furious vulnerable nations stormed out of negotiations in frustration over that elusive funding goal.
They were also angry with oil and gas producing countries, who stood accused of trying to dilute aspects of the deal on cutting fossil fuels.
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Climate-vulnerable nations storm out of talks
The UN talks work on consensus, meaning everyone has to agree for a deal to fly.
A row over how to follow up on last year’s pledge to “transition away from fossil fuels” was left unresolved and punted into next year, following objections from Chile and Switzerland for being too weak.
A draft deal simply “reaffirmed” the commitment but did not dial up the pressure in the way the UK, EU, island states and many others here wanted.
Saudi Arabia fought the hardest against any step forward on cutting fossil fuels, the primary cause of climate change that is intensifying floods, drought and fires around the world.
Governments did manage to strike a deal on carbon markets at COP29, which has been 10 years in the making and will allow countries to trade emissions cuts.
‘Not everything we wanted’
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The UK’s energy secretary, Ed Miliband, said the deal is “not everything we or others wanted”, but described it as a “step forward”.
“It’s a deal that will drive forward the clean energy transition, which is essential for jobs and growth in Britain and for protecting us all against the worsening climate crisis,” he added.
“Today’s agreement sends the signal that the clean energy transition is unstoppable.
“It is the biggest economic opportunity of the 21st century and through our championing of it we can help crowd in private investment.”
Protesters at the summit in Baku. Pic: AP
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The Azerbaijan team leading COP29 said: “Every hour of the day, we have pulled people together. Every inch of the way, we have pushed for the highest common denominator.
“We have faced geopolitical headwinds and made every effort to be an honest broker for all sides.”
At least 20 people have been killed and 66 injured in Israeli strikes on central Beirut, Lebanese authorities have said.
Lebanon‘s health ministry said the death toll could rise as emergency workers dig through the rubble looking for survivors. DNA tests are being used to identify the victims, the ministry added.
The attack destroyed an eight-storey residential building and badly damaged several others around it in the Basta neighbourhood at 4am (2am UK time) on Saturday.
The central Basta neighbourhood in Beirut
The Israeli military did not warn residents to evacuate before the attack and has not commented on the casualties.
At least four bombs were dropped in the attack – the fourth targeting the city centre this week.
A separate drone strike in the southern port city of Tyre this morning killed two people and injured three, according to the state-run National News Agency.
The victims were Palestinian refugees from the nearby al Rashidieh camp who were out fishing, according to Mohammed Bikai, spokesperson for the Fatah Palestinian faction in the Tyre area.
Israel’s military warned residents today in parts of Beirut’s southern suburbs that they were near Hezbollah facilities, which the army would target in the near future. The warning, posted on X, told people to evacuate at least 500 metres away.
The army said that over the past day it had conducted intelligence-based strikes on Hezbollah targets in Dahiyeh, in Beirut’s southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has a strong presence. It said it hit several command centres and weapons storage facilities.
Pic: AP
Israel has killed several Hezbollah leaders in air strikes on the capital’s southern suburbs.
Heavy fighting between Israel and Hezbollah is ongoing in southern Lebanon, as Israeli forces push deeper into the country since launching a major offensive in September.
According to the Lebanese health ministry, at least 3,670 people have been killed in Israeli attacks there, with more than 15,400 wounded.
It has displaced about 1.2 million people – a quarter of Lebanon’s population – while Israel says about 90 soldiers and nearly 50 civilians have been killed in northern Israel.
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‘Dozens’ of Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrike
Meanwhile, six people, including three children and two women, were killed in the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis.
Some 44,176 Palestinians have been killed since the start of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, according to the Gaza health ministry.
The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, but it has said that more than half of the fatalities are women and children.
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking another 250 hostage.
US envoy Amos Hochstein was in the region this week to try to end more than 13 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, ignited last October by the war in Gaza.
Mr Hochstein indicated progress had been made after meetings in Beirut on Tuesday and Wednesday, before going to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Israel Katz.
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