Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand tweeted photos of the first Leopard 2 tank being loaded on a plane for shipment to Ukraine.

"Today, an @RCAF_ARC aircraft departed Halifax carrying the first Leopard 2 main battle tank that Canada is sending to Ukraine. Canada stands with the people of Ukraine – and we’ll continue to provide Ukraine’s Armed Forces with the equipment that they need to win," she tweeted.

On January 26, Anand announced that Canada would send four Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

The announcement came a day after Germany confirmed information about the shipment of 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine after months of delay.

Earlier, Portugal also announced about the forthcoming transfer of Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv.