Belgium will not be able to supply Ukraine with powerful Leopard tanks. German-made armored vehicles that once belonged to the Belgian army were originally sold to private individuals and are now trying to sell the same vehicles to the Brussels government at a much higher price. But even if Belgium bought them back, it would face another hurdle: it would need permission from the Wallonia Region to be able to send them to Ukraine.
The homeland of surrealism was found without a tank. As reported by the channel rtlMost of the military vehicles that once belonged to the Belgian army are now in the southern city of Tournai, more precisely in the warehouses of Freddy Versluys, an entrepreneur in the military vehicles sector. Versluys has amassed a veritable military arsenal over the years, buying obsolete and non-working equipment, betting that armament demand will one day be strong again. And the gamble worked.
But the prices he proposes for the Belgian Ministry of Defense are unreasonable and extremely high. “These tanks were sold for an estimated 10-15 thousand euros as they are no longer working. Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder explained that there is nothing preventing them from being taken back, but they are not operational” and that the “repurchase price is 500,000 euros each”.
Versluys, however, denied contacting the Belgian government. Instead, the entrepreneur said it would be difficult to predict the price at which he would sell the tanks. “I have never given prices to the government and tariffs can range from 200 to 300 thousand euros,” he told Rtl’s microphones. Another issue that complicates the supply of tanks from Belgium to Ukraine is the current location of heavy vehicles belonging to the private sector. In addition to the approval of Germany as the producer country, the Belgian entrepreneur’s export of Leopard tanks requires the permission of the Walloon Region, where military vehicles are located today.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
