WARSAW, Poland — The Croatian government has signed a letter of intent with Germany under which Zagreb aims to acquire up to 50 new Leopard 2A8 tanks for the country’s armed forces.

The tanks are to be purchased at a discounted price to compensate the Croatian Army for its planned transfer of used M-84 tanks and M-80 infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine.

The agreement was signed during an official visit by Croatian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ivan Anušić to Germany, during which the official met his German counterpart Boris Pistorius on October 28.

“This is one of the largest and most significant modernization projects of the Croatian Army, along with all the modernization projects of the Croatian Air Force and the Croatian Navy. We have reached the point of strengthening our armored forces, our tank battalions,” Anušić said in a statement released by his ministry.

The negotiations in Berlin were accompanied by various initiatives aimed at strengthening cooperation between the German and Croatian defense sectors. On October 29, Rheinmetall announced that it had signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a joint venture with Croatian company DOK-ING, a manufacturer of unmanned ground systems (UGS).

“The agreement provides for the joint development and subsequent commercialization of the new DOK-ING Komodo platform. Rheinmetall AG brings various capacity modules/upgrade kits… as well as its international market access and industrial capabilities,” the German supplier said in a statement.

Croatia joins a growing number of Eastern European NATO countries considering purchasing German-made tanks. The Croatian ministry’s decision to acquire KNDS tanks follows Lithuania’s announcement last week of its intention to also acquire Leopard 2A8s for its army.

On October 22, the Lithuanian National Defense Council approved the Defense Ministry’s arms procurement plans. The Baltic State goals establishing a new division within the country’s military in response to Russia’s current invasion of Ukraine. The unit will include, among other elements, infantry fighting vehicles and a tank battalion.

Lithuanian officials have hinted they are considering purchasing up to 54 Leopard 2A8s.