Netherlands, Denmark and Germany buy 100 Leopard 1 tanks for Ukraine

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - The Netherlands, Denmark and Germany are buying 100 Leopard-1A5 battle tanks for Ukraine, the Dutch government said on Tuesday.

The Dutch defense ministry said in a statement the tanks would be purchased "directly from German industry".

In an interview on Dutch national broadcaster NOS, Netherlands Defense Minister Kasja Ollongen said the tanks, a slightly older model, are "definitely still useable" for fighting in Ukraine.

"It's a tested tank, and because they're being tuned up and made ready for fighting, they will definitely be useful for the Ukrainians," she said.

(Reporting by Bart Meijer and Toby Sterling, writing by GV De Clercq, editing by Ed Osmond)