UK pledges to provide battle tanks to Ukraine

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 methods to Ukraine amid renewed missile assaults by Russia on Ukrainian cities.

Sunak supplied to ship Challenger 2 tanks and different artillery methods in a name with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday, the British chief’s Downing Avenue workplace stated in an announcement.

The assertion didn’t say what number of or when the tanks could be delivered to Ukraine.

Sunak stated the tanks had been an indication of the UK’s “ambition to accentuate our help to Ukraine”, in keeping with a readout of a telephone name with Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy expressed his appreciation for the navy help on Twitter, saying “the selections that won’t solely strengthen us on the battlefield, but in addition ship the appropriate sign to different companions.”

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 a detailed, will solely serve to accentuate fight operations, producing extra casualties, together with among the many civilian inhabitants”, the Russian embassy within the UK stated.

Ukraine has been asking to be provided 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 offered 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 attainable as part of a bigger worldwide coalition of tank support to Ukraine.

Earlier this month, France stated it might ship AMX-10 RC armoured fight autos to Ukraine, designated “mild tanks” in France. The US and Germany introduced the identical week that they’d ship Bradley combating autos and Marder armoured personnel carriers, respectively, for the primary time.

The UK’s choice 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 individuals 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 condo constructing, regional Governor Valentyn Reznichenko stated.

Infrastructure services had been additionally hit within the western Lviv area and northeastern Kharkiv. Kyiv, the capital, was additionally focused.