Spain's Military Aid to Ukraine: Leopard Tanks and Patriot Missiles

[00:00:00]Spain has had enough. After watching from  the sidelines while the West armed Ukraine,   Spain has finally decided to take action –  and it’s sending a brutal message to Russian   President Vladimir Putin: GET OUT OF UKRAINE.  This isn’t just a routine arms delivery. Spain’s   new aid package is packed with weapons designed  to crush Russian forces and push them back once   and for all. The Kremlin is reeling, and Putin’s  plans are in serious danger. Spain’s move could be   the tipping point that turns the tide of the war,  pushing Putin’s invasion to the brink of collapse.   In this video, we reveal what Spain is delivering  and how it’s going to help Ukraine deliver a   crushing blow to Putin’s ambitions. Let’s get into  it. On March 24, 2024, The Defense Post reported   on Spain’s announcement that it intended to  send 19 of its Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine   by September of the same year. The tanks wouldn’t  simply be pulled out of storage and shipped over.   Instead, Spain said it would contract General  Dynamics European Land Systems to complete full   commissioning services on every tank, giving  each Leopard a full overhaul while replacing   any defective parts to ensure each tank’s systems  were fully operational by the time they reached   Ukraine. The delivery would be the second Spain  would send to Ukraine. The first came in 2023,   with Spain donating six of its Leopard tanks. With  this second batch, Spain would more than quadruple   its tank support for Ukraine. Still, as impressive  as this announcement was, it represented a fairly   small amount of aid being delivered to Ukraine.  Almost 20 Leopard 2A4 tanks would certainly   be useful from a defensive standpoint, but they  wouldn’t be enough to help Ukraine turn the tide   against Russian forces that were making a heavy  push in Donetsk. But more was to come. Two months   later, on May 27, Spain decided to double down on  this initial show of support. The country’s Prime   Minister – Pedro Sanchez – sat down with Ukrainian  President Volodymyr Zelensky to sign an agreement   that would see Spain deliver an impressive €1  billion in aid – roughly translated into $1.08   billion – as part of a pact that sees Spain  ally itself with Ukraine for the next decade.   “It is more important than ever to redouble our  support,” claimed Sanchez in a press conference   following the signing. According to the agreement  in question, Spain claims it will provide modern   military equipment for ground, sea, aerial, and  other uses, based on Ukraine’s key capacity needs   at the time. Interestingly, Spain has also agreed  to help Ukraine protect its maritime food export   routes, ensuring the country can continue  to be the “breadbasket of Europe” without   fear of Russian interference preventing it from  shipping through the Black Sea. The question from   there was where would the $1.08 billion be spent.  Newsweek offered some answers in a May 27 article,   in which it detailed the various weapons systems  Spain had committed to delivering. The 19 Leopard   tanks pledged to Ukraine back in March were part  of that list, as were a dozen of the powerful   Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems that Ukraine  has been using so well to keep Russia’s aerial   bombardments at bay. Add ammunition and anti-drone  gear to the package and you have a donation that   covers most of the key areas of the war. But  Newsweek also delivered a detail that wasn’t in   the initial Reuters report: Spain had committed  to sending a staggering $5.4 billion by the end   of 2027, meaning the $1.08 billion in equipment  being donated from May 2024 would simply be the   first in multiple rounds of donations designed to  help Ukraine defend itself and ultimately recover   from its war effort. The question now is simple  – why would Spain commit to such an extensive aid   package? After all, its history with Russia isn’t  quite as fraught as that of many other European   countries that fear Russian aggression. Spain was  never part of the Soviet yolk following World War   II, as countries like Poland and the Baltic  states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania – all   three being ardent supporters of Ukraine – were.  If anything, you could argue that Spain’s recent   history with Russia has been as close to neutral  as it could be considering Russia’s actions in the   20th century through to today in Ukraine. Granted,  Moscow played a role in the Spanish Civil War. The   Soviet Union offered active support to Spain’s  Republican factions at the time, sending military   advisors, weapons, and “volunteer” soldiers in  exchange for gold drawn out of the Bank of Spain’s   reserves. However, Spain would eventually come to  laud those Soviet volunteers. A monument to them   was erected in Madrid in 1989 listing the names  of 182 Russian combatants killed during the Civil   War. There was just one problem – the Republicans  lost the Spanish Civil War to the Nationalists in   1939, meaning all of the Soviet support was  for naught. Now under Franco, Spain became an   enemy to Russia, with Spain’s Blue Division of  volunteers fighting against the Soviet Red Army   on the Eastern Front for a short period until  Franco decided enough was enough. He withdrew   the Spanish soldiers, with Spain going on to  remain neutral for the rest of World War II. So,   conflict existed. But Spain and the Soviet Union  tended to essentially stay away from one another   following World War II. There were signs of  tension, such as Nikita Khrushchev claiming that   Russia’s relationship with Spain was “the worst,  though hardly the most problematic,” when speaking   in front of the United Nations General Assembly  in October 1960, which followed Franco banning   a soccer match between Spain and the Soviet Union  earlier in that year. But direct conflict between   the two was never really an issue. And toward  the end of Franco’s reign, the relationship   between the two countries was even starting to  defrost. A trade agreement was signed in 1972,   with a Soviet ambassador being appointed to Spain  around five years later. As the Soviet Union gave   way to the Russian Federation in the early 1990s,  Spain and Russia continued to have a cordial   relationship. Former Russian President Dmitry  Medvedev and Spain’s King Juan Carlos I even   worked together on issues such as Kosovo declaring  its independence from Serbia. Putin would even   visit Spain multiple times in the 2000s. There  were a few hiccups along the way, of course. But   as recently as 2020, a Russian representative  was writing in the margins of the Gaidar Forum   that he believed “there is no reason for our  nations to be guided by the politics of others,   and we trust that Russian-Spanish relations, with  the current Government – or with any other – have   a good future. Then came February 2022 and a true  test of that statement. Russia invaded Ukraine,   putting all of Europe on notice. Putin was no  longer interested in playing politics or being   diplomatic – he was going to take what he wanted  by force. And, like most other European countries,   Spain took this action as a direct threat, which  has resulted in any true diplomatic ties between   Russia and Spain going up in smoke. If you need  any evidence of that, you need only refer to   the comments made by Spain’s Defense Minister  Margarita Robles in March 2024, the same month   in which Spain committed its 19 Leopard tanks.  Speaking to the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia,   Robles said the situation with Russia was  extremely complex while making sure to point   out something that is likely on every Spanish mind  – “Right now, a ballistic missile could easily   reach Spain from Russia.” She continued, calling  the threat that Russia poses to the countries   that neighbor Ukraine “total and absolute.” Many  of those countries – such as the Baltic states   mentioned earlier – are also NATO members, as is  Spain. Reading between the lines of this comment,   Robles is clearly stating that any threat to these  NATO member countries is also a threat to Spain,   not least because Article 5 of the NATO charter  provides that all members of the alliance would   come to the aid of any other member state  should one be subject to an armed attack. If   Putin’s ambition spreads to the likes of Estonia,  Latvia, and Lithuania, for instance, any invasion   he launched into those countries would leave Spain  duty-bound to come to their defense. Robles made   this even clearer when she said “You only have  to listen to the latest statement from Putin,   in which he talks about the possibility of nuclear  attacks.” She points out that the countries close   to Russia are already well aware of the danger  that Putin poses, while those further to the   West don’t have the awareness that they perhaps  need. She went on to call Putin an “unscrupulous”   person. So, the reasoning behind Spain delivering  such a historic blow to Russia becomes clear.   Spain feels threatened. Putin’s actions in Ukraine  have shown that he’s a leader who will not stop   in his quest to get what he wants. So, rather  than leave Ukraine to fend for itself, Spain is   making its military donations to bolster Ukraine’s  defenses to the point where it can stop Putin in   his tracks before he turns his attention to the  rest of Europe. But let’s come back to Spain’s   military aid to Ukraine. Just how much had it  delivered before the announcement of this historic   package? As it turns out, not that much. According  to Statista, Spain has sent $1.35 billion in aid   between February 2022 and June 2024 – a figure  that includes the $1.08 billion announced in May   2024. So, prior to this announcement, Spain had  only provided around $280 million, with much of   that coming in the form of direct financial aid  barring the 2023 delivery of a handful of Leopard   tanks. This lack of aid puts Spain fairly low  on the list of countries that have donated to   Ukraine. It ranks 17th on that list, well behind  other major European powers such as Germany and   the United Kingdom, which have both cracked,  or come close to cracking, the $15 billion   mark. Granted, Spain is a member of the European  Union, or EU, and various EU institutions have   donated $43.67 billion since the war began. Spain  could argue that it will have donated via those   institutions, but the fact remains that, up until  May 2024, it had been one of the few major powers   to not make an extensive commitment to Ukraine.  To expand on that point, we can also look to   Statista to explain how much Spain has donated as  a share of the country’s gross domestic product,   or GDP. Then, it’s even lower on the list, coming  in at 27 out of the 38 nations that have donated   to Ukraine. Spain has spent just 0.09% of its GDP  on providing military aid to Ukraine, meaning one   of Europe’s richest nations has also been one  of the continent’s stingiest when it comes to   providing aid. For context, the U.K. has committed  0.45% of its GDP since the Ukraine war began,   while the countries that are most under threat  should Putin win contributing considerably more.   Estonia’s donations when stacked up against its  GDP come to 1.66%, for instance, with Lithuania   landing on 1.43% and Latvia at 1.35%. That  information offers much-needed context as   to why Spain’s most recent donation announcements  are such a devastating blow for Putin. For almost   the entire Ukraine war, he had been able  to rely on Spain to be cautious, at best,   when it came to supporting Ukraine. The country  outwardly backed Zelensky but wasn’t following   up its verbal support with substantial amounts  of money. That’s all changed. Over a billion   dollars of equipment will be flowing from Spain  and into Ukraine in 2024, with the promise of   over $4 billion more to come by 2027. With that,  let’s move on to an examination of the specific   equipment that Spain is sending. We start with  the Leopard 2A4 tank. The tank is the most common   model of the Leopard 2, with its history dating  back to West Germany in 1977. It was during that   year – at the height of the Cold War – that West  German contractor Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, working   alongside Rheinmetall, fulfilled its promise  to deliver a successor to the famous Leopard   battle tank. A staggering 1,800 of the first  Leopard 2 tanks were built in the late 1970s,   with the design undergoing several upgrades in  the years that followed. The Leopard 2A1 brought   with it some minor modifications, including the  addition of new ammo racks and a thermal sight for   the tank’s gunners. As for the 2A2, it upgraded  the thermal sight, added a deflector plate for   the tank’s periscope, and bolstered the Leopard  2’s armor with a large cover plate designed to   improve to Leopard’s protection against nuclear,  biological, and chemical attacks. Next up came the   2A3, which implemented SEM80/90 digital radio  sets, along with a new welding technique for   the tank’s ammo hatches. Finally, we come to  the 2A4. Though not the most recent model of   the Leopard 2 – Germany released the 2A5 through  2A7 models in the years that followed – it is the   most widespread and brought with it some wholesale  changes to how Leopard tanks were designed. These   changes included the installation of an automated  fire and explosion suppression system, providing   the tank with much-needed protection against  the new crop of anti-tank weapons that were   appearing in the later 1980s. An improved turret  – protected by tungsten armor – was also added,   as was a digital fire control system that made the  tank capable of firing more types of ammunition.   Let’s zero in on that firepower. The Leopard 2A4  kept the L44 120mm smoothbore main gun that was   used in the tank’s previous iterations, though  this older gun was bolstered by the new DigBal   Digital FCS fire system. That system equips the  2A4 with a ballistic computer that uses motion and   environmental sensors, along with a laser range  finder, to identify and track potential targets. A   handful of the 2A4 tanks produced – including the  200 built as part of the initial batch – included   a PZB 200 night-vision camera. That was later  replaced by a WBG-X thermal imaging system,   with it being likely that the Leopard 2A4 tanks  Spain has donated are tanks that use this system.   The tank has a 1,500 horsepower MTU diesel  engine, with five fuel tanks spread across   the vehicle ensuring its operators can keep it  running even if one of the tanks gets taken out.   A nitrogen fire suppression system is in place –  replacing the original HALON systems – to protect   the tank from fires caused by explosions, and the  2A4 also has external smoke grenade launchers it   can use to create a smokescreen when needed.  Add a composite armor that makes heavy use of   the previously mentioned tungsten and you have a  tank that packs a punch while also being capable   of taking a hit. By now, you may have identified  a potential problem with this tank: It was made   in the 1980s, or 1985, to be exact. That makes it  a holdover from the dying days of the Cold War,   leading some to speculate that the tank may not be  able to match up to the more modern tanks Russia   is fielding in Ukraine. That might have been  the case, were it not for the fact that Russia   is barely using its modern tanks. According to  Pravda, Russia has only deployed around 175 of   its ultramodern T-90M tanks to the frontlines in  Ukraine since February 2022. The majority of its   tanks are older, with Putin relying on Soviet-era  T-72s and T-62s to establish ground control,   even going as far as to pull T-55s that were made  just after World War II out of storage. He’s also   burning through these old tanks at an astonishing  rate, with Ukraine’s Ministry of Finance claiming   that Ukraine has destroyed 8,636 Russian tanks  as of September 8, 2024. So, the Leopard 2A4’s   Spain is donating may not have been able to stand  up against Russia’s T-90Ms. But they won’t have   to – they’ll be dealing with tanks that are even  older. Better yet for Ukraine, Spain has committed   to conducting full services and maintenance on the  19 2A4s it is sending, meaning they’ll be in far   better condition than many of the old Russian  tanks that have been pulled out of storage and   sent straight to the frontlines with barely any  maintenance being conducted on them. But perhaps   more worrying for Putin than tanks will be the  Patriot missiles Spain is sending to Ukraine. The   Patriot aerial defense system has proven extremely  helpful to Ukraine during its war with Russia.   Though it only has two Patriot systems as of June  2024, with U.S. President Joe Biden saying in July   that America, together with Romania and Germany,  is preparing to send a further three at some point   in the future, it has made very good use of them.  It has managed to use Patriot missiles to shoot   down Russian Su-34 fighter jets from ranges  of nearly 100 miles, showcasing the system’s   success against Russian aerial assets as well as  the ballistic missiles the Patriot was originally   designed to counter. For context, the Su-34 is  claimed by some to be Russia’s top twin-seat   fighter-bomber aircraft, meaning taking it out  is important for Ukraine to prevent Russia from   establishing aerial dominance over its territory.  Back to the missiles. Spain has committed to   sending 12 Patriot missiles to Ukraine, adding  to the country’s slowly growing stockpiles. Each   of these missiles is about 17 feet long and  is equipped with a track-via-missile, or TVM,   guidance system. That TVM is backed  by a mobile engagement control center,   which can transmit midcourse correction commands  while the missile is in flight, allowing it to   divert its course to ensure it hits its target.  Behind this TVM sits a 198-pound high-explosive   warhead capable of destroying everything from  Russian fighter jets to ballistic missiles. The   missile has the range to back that firepower  up, too. It can travel for up to 43 miles,   hitting a maximum altitude of 14.9 miles, allowing  it to hit an aerial target before it reaches its   location, and even before it has descended to the  point where it can do serious damage. It’s fast,   too. A Patriot missile can reach speeds of up  to 7,700 miles per hour, or Mach 10, meaning the   missile can move at 10 times the speed of sound.  That’s why Ukraine has been able to use them to   shoot Russian fighter jets out of the sky. The  Su-34, for instance, has a top speed of Mach 1.8,   meaning it’s no match for the sheer speed of  the Patriot. This is a missile that can shoot   practically anything Putin can launch right out  of the sky. Still, there’s one small solace for   Putin. Though it’s clear that Spain has had enough  of the Russian President’s actions to the point   where it’s finally committing substantial military  aid to Ukraine, that aid comes with a caveat.   Unlike many of its NATO allies, including France,  Germany, the U.K., and even the U.S., Spain’s   weapons have a condition attached: Ukraine can’t  use them on Russian soil. Spanish President Pedro   Sanchez made this clear on May 27, in the wake of  making Spain’s new military pact with Ukraine when   asked about Madrid’s stance on allowing Ukraine to  use NATO weapons in Russia. Sanchez’s response was   “We have neither such will nor such intention, and  I certainly have no information about this.” In   other words, Spain would not be joining its allies  in permitting the use of its weapons outside   Ukraine. That comment was reinforced in September  2024 when Defense Minister Robles told reporters   after a meeting with several other EU Defense  Ministers that Spain would hold firm on its stance   – Ukraine could not use the weapons Spain provides  in Russia. This stance may come as a surprise   in the wake of Ukraine’s invasion of the Russian  oblast of Kursk in early August 2024. By now, it’s   clear that Zelensky has no intention of keeping  the fight on Ukrainian soil – he’s taking it to   Putin’s doorstep and Ukraine is taking control  of Russian territory as we speak. Right now,   it holds about 465 square miles in Kursk, with  93 villages falling under Ukraine’s control.   Spain’s decision to only permit Ukraine to use  the weapons it provides defensively seems to run   counter to Ukraine’s new offensive strategy.  Still, the stance shouldn’t come as a surprise   given how slow Spain has been to act when compared  to its European compatriots. The stance also   shouldn’t be taken as a sign that Spain is  limiting its support of Ukraine either – this   military funding is still a clear slap in Putin’s  face and a signal of intent from Spain. We see   that in the officially released documentation of  the agreement on security cooperation Ukraine has   signed with Spain published on Zelensky’s official  website. The document goes into greater depth on   the sheer breadth of the pact made between Spain  and Ukraine, kicking off with a preamble in which   Spain reaffirms its complete condemnation of  Putin and his actions in Ukraine. Spain has also   committed to supporting Ukraine’s right to defend  itself per Article 51 of the UN charter, as well   as officially recognizing that Russia’s invasion  of Ukrainian sovereign territory is illegal. Spain   also says that Ukraine should remain independent  per the borders it has had since 1991 while also   broadening the cooperation and partnership between  the two nations. Perhaps the key phrase in this   agreement comes from its “Scope” section: “Spain  is determined to provide support for Ukraine for   as long as it takes, in coordination with its  international partners and allies, in order to   help Ukraine defend itself.” As long as it takes.  This pact isn’t Spain giving a one-off donation to   Ukraine. It’s a full-blown commitment to offer  continued support for as long as it takes for   Ukraine to reassert its independence. That means  the 5 billion Euros Spain has pledged to provide   up to 2027 may just be the start – if the war goes  on for longer, Spain will make even more military   donations. Yes, refusing to allow Ukraine to use  Spanish weapons on Russian territory could be seen   as Spain hedging its bets a little bit. That may  be because Spain’s decision isn’t popular with   everybody in Spain. On May 28, 2024, Euractiv  reported that Sumar spokesman Ernest Urtasun   has criticized Prime Minister Sanchez’s decision  to sign the agreement with Ukraine. For context,   the Sumar party currently forms a coalition  with Sanchez’s PSOE party in Spain,   with the part falling on the far left of the  political spectrum. According to Urtasun,   who also serves as Spain’s Culture Minister,  the green light for signing the agreement was   given without Sanchez consulting the PSOE party.  “This lack of transparency is not serious when   talking about an issue as important as defense,”  Urtasun sarcastically quipped while also pointing   out that Sanchez’s recent decision to increase  Spanish defense spending so it hits 2% of GDP   was also made without Sumar input. Internal  politics are clearly at play here. But that   won’t matter to Putin. Regardless of whether  the Sumar party agrees with Sanchez’s decision,   Russia’s leader has still been dealt a devastating  blow. Diplomatically, Spain has made it clear that   it wants Russia out of Ukraine so much that it’s  willing to support Putin’s enemy for as long as   it takes for that to happen. Spain has made a  long-term commitment, with the first 10 of the   promised Leopard 2A4 tanks having already arrived  in Ukraine. The message is clear – regardless of   internal strife, Spain stands behind Ukraine more  firmly than it has at any point during the Ukraine   war. That’s a slap in Putin’s face as it now  means that every major European power has made   it abundantly clear that they’re united in wanting  Putin out of Ukraine. What do you think about the   support that Spain has pledged to Ukraine with  this latest round of military aid, as well as its   ongoing commitment to provide more in the future?  Will it have a positive effect on Kyiv’s ability   to repel Russia’s invading forces in the long  term? Let us know your thoughts in the comments   and don’t forget to hit the like button and  subscribe for more analysis of the Ukraine war.   Now go check out Sweden Had Enough of Russia - GET  OUT OF UKRAINE! or click this other video instead!