Britain has decided to send several main battle tanks ‘Challenger 2’ and additional artillery weapon systems to Ukraine, which is fighting the Russian invasion.
The British Prime Minister’s Office said on the 14th local time that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had promised to strengthen support for Ukraine in a phone call with Ukrainian President Zelensky.
The move makes Britain the first Western country to send main battle tanks to Ukraine.
The British Prime Minister’s Office did not say how many tanks or when they would be handed over to Ukraine, but the BBC and other foreign media estimated the size at 12.
The British Prime Minister’s office said that the two countries agreed on the need to take advantage of the current situation where Russia’s military strength and morale are deteriorating, and welcomed Poland’s proposal to provide German-made heavy armored tanks ‘Leopard 2’.
Earlier, Polish President Andrzej Duda announced that he would provide 14 Leopard 2 units to Ukraine, and requested approval from Germany, which produced the Leopard 2.
In response, Ukraine’s President Zelensky thanked Prime Minister Sunak for making a decision that not only strengthens us on the battlefield, but also sends the right signal to our other partners.
Designed for attacking other tanks, the Challenger 2 has been used by the British Army since 1994 and has been deployed in Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq.
Prior to Britain, France announced on the 4th that it would support the French light tank AMX-10RC to Ukraine, followed by the US and Germany, respectively, announcing that they would send Radley armored vehicles and Mother armored vehicles to Ukraine.
Prior to the announcement by the British Prime Minister’s Office, Ukrainian authorities said there had been a Russian missile strike for the first time this year in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, targeting infrastructure and other facilities.
