Leopard 2 main battle tanks from Germany and Portugal will be delivered to the Ukrainian Armed Forces by the end of March, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Wednesday in Stockholm, where a meeting of European Union defense ministers is taking place.

"I can tell you that I just found out that 18 German Leopard 2A6 tanks and three Portuguese tanks can be sent to Ukraine this month," Pistorius said, according to RND news agency.

He said the tanks will arrive with trained crews, which will allow them to immediately go to the combat zone.