THE HAGUE, Feb 7 (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.