British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak guarantees to ship Challenger 2 tanks after telephone name with Ukraine chief Zelenskyy.
The UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is pledging to offer tanks and artillery techniques to Ukraine amid renewed missile assaults by Russia on Ukrainian cities.
Sunak provided to ship Challenger 2 tanks and different artillery techniques in a name with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday, the British chief’s Downing Avenue workplace mentioned in a press release.
The assertion didn’t say what number of or when the tanks can be delivered to Ukraine.
Sunak mentioned the tanks had been an indication of the UK’s “ambition to accentuate our help to Ukraine”, in accordance with a readout of a telephone name with Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy expressed his appreciation for the army help on Twitter, saying “the selections that won’t solely strengthen us on the battlefield, but additionally ship the proper sign to different companions.”
At all times robust help of the UK is now impenetrable and prepared for challenges. In a dialog with the Prime Minister, @RishiSunak, I thanked for the selections that won’t solely strengthen us on the battlefield, but additionally ship the proper sign to different companions.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 14, 2023
Russia reacted to the UK’s pledge and warned it might solely “intensify” the battle.
“Bringing tanks to the battle zone, removed from drawing the hostilities to an in depth, will solely serve to accentuate fight operations, producing extra casualties, together with among the many civilian inhabitants”, the Russian embassy within the UK mentioned.
Ukraine has been asking to be equipped with heavier tanks for months, together with the US Abrams and the German Leopard 2 duties. Nonetheless, some Western leaders have been treading rigorously.
Poland and the Czech Republic have supplied Soviet-era T-72 tanks to the Ukrainian military.
Whereas Poland has additionally expressed readiness to present Leopard tanks, President Andrzej Duda underscored that the transfer would solely be doable as part of a bigger worldwide coalition of tank help to Ukraine.
Earlier this month, France mentioned it might ship AMX-10 RC armoured fight automobiles to Ukraine, designated “gentle tanks” in France. The US and Germany introduced the identical week that they’d ship Bradley preventing automobiles and Marder armoured personnel carriers, respectively, for the primary time.
The UK’s resolution to offer the tanks got here as Russian forces fired missiles at Ukraine’s capital and different cities across the nation on Saturday, hitting key infrastructure.
A minimum of 5 folks had been killed and greater than 20 wounded within the southeastern metropolis of Dnipro, the place a Russian missile assault destroyed a piece of an house constructing, regional Governor Valentyn Reznichenko mentioned.
Infrastructure amenities had been additionally hit within the western Lviv area and northeastern Kharkiv. Kyiv, the capital, was additionally focused.
