The German government has authorized manufacturers to send Leopard 1 battle tanks to Ukraine, beginning the process of dispatching offensive armored vehicles to Kyiv and bolstering its military efforts against Russia's invasion.
''I can confirm that an export license has been issued," Germany's government spokesperson, Steffen Hebestreit, announced Friday. However, he declined to comment on the number of these tanks that would be exported.
The Leopard 1 had been in service since the 1960's until it was phased out in 2003, and it cannot keep up to the same extent as a Leopard 2 tank on the battlefield, according to Germany's armed forces spokesman Arne Collatz.
Remember: After longstanding pressure from NATO allies, Germany agreed in January to send 14 Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine — a move that Kyiv hopes will be a game-changer on the battlefield. The decision of leaders from the US and Germany to send contingents of tanks to Ukraine marks a major moment of the nearly year-long war.
CNN's Kevin Liptak, Stephanie Halasz, Sophie Tanno and Sugam Pokharel contributed reporting.