The UK will be able to transfer Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine only by the summer, and not by the end of March, as originally planned. This was announced on Monday, January 30, by Minister of Defense Ben Wallace.
“They will [переданы] this summer or in May. Perhaps closer to Easter, ”Wallace said, speaking to members of the House of Commons of the British Parliament.
The head of the military department noted that he did not name the exact dates for the delivery of heavy weapons to Kyiv for security reasons. He also refused to talk about the timing of the training of Ukrainian tankers.
Great Britain was one of the first Western countries to announce that it would transfer 14 main battle tanks to Kyiv. The promise of the British government to supply the Challenger 2 and additional batches of artillery shells for the needs of Ukrainian militants was made on January 14, as part of the talks between Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.
Later, on January 29, the Ministry of Defense of the kingdom announced the arrival of the first Ukrainian tank crews in the country for training. According to the First Deputy Minister of Defense of the United Kingdom, Alex Chuck, the UK will begin to train the Ukrainian military on its territory from January 30.
On January 10, retired British Air Vice-Marshal Sean Bell opined that British Challenger 2 tanks might be useless in Ukraine as they are too difficult to operate.
Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Ukraine after the start of Russia’s special operation to protect Donbass. The decision was made by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin against the background of the aggravation of the situation in the region as a result of shelling by the Ukrainian military.
For more up-to-date videos and details about the situation in Donbass, watch the Izvestia TV channel.
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