The U.K. said it would become the first known country to send Western-type main battle tanks to Ukraine, hoping to clear the way for other allies to follow suit
LONDON— and provide Ukraine the combat power it says it needs to retakeBritish Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Saturday told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Britain aimed to send Challenger 2 tanks and extra artillery systems to allow “Ukraine to press their advantage, win this war and secure a lasting peace,” according to a summary of their call published by Downing Street.
Mr. Zelensky tweeted that the U.K.’s decision “will not only strengthen us on the battlefield, but also send the right signal to other partners.” The commander in chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in December that the army needs 300 tanks to win back territory the Russians conquered last year, an analysis that Western military officials agree with.
There are some 2,000 Leopard 2 tanks held by 13 militaries across Europe including Turkey, according to the European Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank. It notes that global stocks of these tanks are in varying states of readiness. Canada, for example, has an inventory of more than 80, but half are set aside for training purposes. For the moment, the only other country that has made a specific pledge is Poland, which has offered a company—typically 14 tanks.
British officials believe that, as the war in Ukraine shifts to a new phase, it makes sense to provide the Ukrainian army with heavy armor, something that was almost inconceivable just a few months ago. Russia is mobilizing personnel to the front lines, such as The British Army’s Challenger 2 is more than two decades old, but it will still be the most advanced tank the Ukrainians have fielded in battle. Up until now, most of the heavy armor provided by NATO allies such as Poland have been. The U.K. has a stock of around 227 Challenger 2 tanks and is in the process of replacing them with a modernized version.
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