Austria not to train Ukrainians on Leopard 2

By Timur Kirez

GENEVA (AA) - Austria will not train Ukrainian soldiers on the Leopard 2 main battle tank, Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner told public radio station O1 on Monday.

In a statement, Tanner said it was the "sovereign decision of each state" to "support Ukraine within the framework of its laws."

Austria had already declared in January that it would not supply Leopard 2 tanks from its inventory to Ukraine, citing its neutrality.

According to O1, however, foreign soldiers are already being trained on the Leopard 2 tanks from the NATO countries Hungary and the Czech Republic.

Austria has a single tank battalion, stationed in Wels in Upper Austria, which has 48 Leopard 2 battle tanks.