Leopard 2 tanks donated to Ukraine by Germany are said to be failing on the battlefield, according to reports of a defence ministry assessment. A top secret transcript of a meeting between a German defence attache in Kyiv and some 200 German Armed Forces personnel highlighted challenges Ukrainian troops face when operating the military vehicles.

Germany sent 18 of the main battle tanks to Ukraine in 2023 after a national debate over whether or not to provide the war-torn country with the heavy weaponry. But Ukrainian soldiers found the tanks have limited uses, according to the transcript, which was obtained by three media outlets in Germany. Leopard 2s are vulnerable to drone strikes, according to the transcript, with damaged Leopards having to be sent to western Ukraine for repair because their design makes them harder to fix on the battlefield. Sergej Sumlenny, Managing Director of the European Resilience Initiative Centre, said the "main problem" with the tanks given to Ukraine is that there aren't enough of them.

He told the Telegraph: "If one or two have to be repaired, that’s a big part of what Ukraine has that’s suddenly out of commission for a while."

Mr Sumlenny added that Leopard 2s weren't designed for the battlefields of Ukraine as they function well with air support, which the Ukrainians lack.

News of the Leopard 2 tanks comes amid reports Russia is preparing for a spring push. So far this month, Russian forces have targeted Ukraine with 2,800 bombs, more than 1,400 strike drones and almost 60 missiles of various types.

Two ballistic missiles hit the heart of Sumy on Sunday, killing at least 34 people, including two children, and wounding 119. The city is less than 20 miles from Ukraine's border with Russia. It was the second large-scale attack to claim civilian lives in Ukraine in just over a week.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia's military only strikes military targets. Russia's Defence Ministry said the strike had targeted a gathering of senior military officers and accused Kyiv of using civilians as human shields by holding military meetings in the centre of the city.

The ministry claimed to have killed over 60 troops, but Russia didn't provide any evidence to support its claims.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for a global response to the attack, saying the first strike hit university buildings and the second exploded above street level.

He posted on social media on Monday: "Only real pressure on Russia can stop this. We need tangible sanctions against those sectors that finance the Russian killing machine."

Germany’s chancellor-in waiting, Friedrich Merz, described the attack as "a serious war crime" during an appearance on ARD television.

Mr Merz made clear he stands by his previous calls to send Taurus long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine, something Mr Scholz has refused to do.

But Mr Merz said the Ukrainian military needs to be able to "get ahead of the situation" with any delivery of long-range missiles done in consultation with European partners.

Asked about Mr Merz's statement, the Kremlin spokesman said such a move would "inevitably lead only to further escalation of the situation around Ukraine".

Mr Peskov told reporters that "regrettably, European capitals aren't inclined to search for ways to launch peace talks and are inclined instead to keep provoking the continuation of the war".

On the Sumy attack, US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he was trying to get the war stopped. He said: "I think it was terrible and I was told they made a mistake, but I think it’s a horrible thing. I think the whole war is a horrible thing."