The Ukrainian-made Oplot tank / Photo from UNIAN

Ukraine was contracted to supply a battalion of forty-nine T84 Oplot tanks worth 7.2 billion baht in 2011 but was slow to press ahead with production and delivery due to security problems in the country, Bangkok Post reported, referring to an army source.

So far, 31 Ukrainian tanks have been sent to Thailand and the new batch of five tanks are now heading to Thailand by ship and are expected to reach the country by the end of this month, according to the source.

The final batch of the remaining 13 tanks have already been manufactured and Ukraine is now waiting for an army delegation to travel there to examine the tanks late this month.

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Read alsoUkrainian army to get first batch of country’s newest Oplot MBTs before year-endDuring the Defense and Security 2017 exhibition in Bangkok on Monday, Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwon met with Ukraine Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak, and the Ukraine minister informed Gen Prawit of the progress in the delivery of the tanks.

The two ministers also discussed a range of topics covering military and defense industry cooperation, such as setting up a repair and maintenance factory for military vehicles, the transfer of defense technology and military logistics support.

The two sides also agreed to set up a working panel to follow up on their cooperation. The source also said Ukraine had expressed interest in investing in the construction of a center for manufacturing and maintenance in Thailand.

"The Defense Ministry plans to build a production and maintenance facility for Chinese weapons in Thailand," Bangkok Post wrote.