Minister of Defense of Spain, Margarita Robles, announced that the government cannot send its mothballed Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine as they are "in an absolutely deplorable state."

"We are today looking at all the possibilities, but I can already say that the Leopards in Zaragoza that have not been used for many years cannot be sent [to Ukraine] because they are in an absolutely deplorable state," El Mundo quotes Robles.

According to her, they tested the tanks and found they were in bad condition.

"We can't give them away because they would be a risk to the people using them," Robles explained.

In July, the Spanish government was preparing to send to Ukraine 10 Leopard 2A4 battle tanks and 20 M113 armored personnel carriers available in the Spanish army.

As reported, a group of Ukrainian experts visited Spain to examine its state and determine if it needed to get renewed and modernized. German and US permits were also required.

In June, the German authorities already rejected Spain's offer to send about 40 Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine after their modernization.

Until now, Western countries have refused to supply Western-style tanks to Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron said that due to fears of being drawn into a war with Russia, Western countries had an agreement not to provide Ukraine with certain types of weapons.