Britain is considering supplying main battle tanks to Ukraine. Up to ten Challenger 2 vehicles can go ashore to defend against Russian attacks, Sky News said Monday. Earlier, Poland had stepped up the debate over supplying Western main battle tanks to Ukraine, encouraging other countries to form a broad coalition to hand over more modern tanks.
Corresponding talks with Britain have been going on for weeks. Such a move would also encourage other states to provide battle tanks, according to a “Ukrainian source” quoted by Sky News.
No official confirmation from London
Meanwhile, the “Mirror” reported that among the supporters of Western Ukraine, London had already “non-bindingly” announced the possible delivery of a dozen Challenger 2 systems. Officially, however, the decision will probably not be presented until another meeting of the so-called Ramstein Group on January 20 at the US military base of the same name in Rhineland-Palatinate.
The British Ministry of Defense initially declined to comment on the reports. The UK has so far supplied more than 200 armored vehicles to Ukraine, including Stormer anti-aircraft systems, sources said.
Poland wants “tank coalition”
*Warsaw is encouraging other countries to form a broad coalition to hand over more modern tanks such as the Leopard tank, Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski told Polish Public Radio. Poland could be part of such a coalition, Jakub Kumoch, security adviser to President Andrzej Duda, told Radio Zet. “Things are moving. First we have to find out what our allies in the Western countries are going to do.” However, the NATO country will not do anything about it alone, because it is completely incapable of doing so.
German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said he was unaware of requests from NATO partners to supply Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. The German government does not want to make these available to Ukraine at this time. The government spokesman again ruled out going it alone and referred to agreements with partners such as the US and France.
Russia: “Deliveries don’t change anything”
Russia condemned Western arms sales to Ukraine. These would “exacerbate the suffering of the Ukrainian people” and would not change the course of the conflict, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “In principle, these deliveries cannot and will not change anything in Ukraine,” Peskov said, according to Interfax news agency. It’s not just about the French AMX-10RC light tanks, which he was asked about, but all Western arms shipments, Peskow said.
Ukraine was grateful for the earlier and announced Western arms deliveries – but from the point of view of the country attacked by Russia, they are not yet enough. “No one has done enough as long as there are Russian boots on Ukrainian territory,” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter. Arming the Ukrainian army is the shortest way to restore peace and security in Europe.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
