Britain agreed to send Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine: Zelensky’s reaction – UNIAN
Today, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi had a telephone conversation.
Prime Minister of Great Britain Rishi Sunak has agreed to provide four battle tanks to Ukraine now Challenger 2and eight more to appear in the near future.
A British tabloid writes about it Sun, citing a Downing Street source. Sunak informs the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky about this on Saturday. According to the source, the British government “wants our actions to speak louder than words.”
this week, Sunak held talks with the heads of the Ministry of Defense and Security, informing them that sending tanks to Ukraine should be an operational priority. According to The Sun, Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ben Wallace sent a tank squadron after active lobbying by Zelensky.
“The Prime Minister made it clear that Great Britain must fulfill its obligations to Ukraine. This includes providing a critical number of weapons for self-defense and changing the balance of forces on the battlefield,” the source said.
Britain’s offer will form part of a military package for Ukraine after European allies, including France and Germany, pledged to send armored vehicles.
Official confirmation of the British government
Today, January 14, Rishi Sunak and Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a telephone conversation. As reported in British governmentSunak outlined Great Britain’s desire to increase support for Ukraine, “in particular through the provision of Challenger 2 tanks and additional artillery systems.”
In turn, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, thanked Risha Sunak for the strong support from Great Britain.
“The always strong support from Great Britain has now become impenetrable and ready for challenges. In a conversation with the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak thanked for the decisions that not only send us to the battlefield, but also send the right signal to other partners,” – certain Zelensky
Challenger 2 tanks for Ukraine – what is known
As UNIAN reported, in a few days it became known that Great Britain is considering the possibility for the first time supply of tanks for Ukraine. We are talking about the main tanks of the British Army Challenger 2. According to Sky News, discussions about the supply of British tanks to Ukraine have been going on “for several weeks.”
Later, the Financial Times wrote that the British government confirmed the plans deliver Challenger 2 battle tanks to Ukraine to protect against a Russian invasion. Thus, Great Britain will become the first Western country to provide Ukraine with modern heavy battle tanks.
January 12 Sky News reported, that Britain plans to transfer 12 Challenger 2 battle tanks to Ukraine. But such a decision has not yet been made. At the same time, the former head of the General Staff of the British Army, General Richard Dunnatt, criticized the report of 12 tanks, believing that it was too few.
And according to The Guardian, the British government to announce the transfer of heavy tanks to Ukraine own production on Monday. According to the publication’s source, London has agreed to send about 10 Challenger 2 tanks to Kyiv in the near future.
The Challenger 2 has been in service with the British Army since 1994 and is the main battle tank of the British Ground Forces. The tank is armed with a 120-mm rifled gun and a 7.62-mm chain gun. The company BAE Systems closed down the production of this model of tanks in 2009 due to the lack of a defense order from the government of Great Britain.