Ukraine will receive “between 120 and 140” Western heavy tanks, said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, on Tuesday, a few days after the kyiv’s allies will agree to supply it with these powerful weapons.
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“The Ukrainian armed forces will receive between 120 and 140 modern tanks of Western models,” the minister said in a video on Facebook, recalling that they were German-designed Leopard 2, British Challenger 2 and American Abrams.
It is the first time that kyiv has indicated the number of armored vehicles it expects to receive from its Western allies. Several countries announced in recent days their intention to quickly supply these vehicles to Ukraine.
The UK wants to ship Challenger by the end of March and Germany plans to ship its first Leopard 2s in late March or early April. The United States announced for its part the shipment of 31 Abrams.
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But the delivery process could take months, according to several foreign ministries, which alleged possible repairs and maintenance work, in addition to the training of Ukrainian soldiers for these models, which they have never used on the ground.
Ukraine has already received foreign tanks in recent months, including more than 250 modernized Soviet T-72 units from Poland. But until now the western powers had been reluctant to send more advanced models for fear of an escalation in the conflict.
kyiv calls for fighter jets
The delivery of F-16 fighters, which would allow kyiv to carry out an even more effective air-ground campaign
Having obtained Western artillery and tanks, Ukraine now demands planes in the face of Russian aggression, a demand that the United States rejects for the moment but that some European countries no longer rule out.
The president of United States,
Joe Biden categorically rejected on Monday the idea of sending American F-16 fighters made by Lockheed Martin, capable of long-range strikes, to Ukraine, a move some fear will escalate tensions with Moscow.
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But his position could change considering what happened in the last few months. The allies were initially reluctant to supply Ukraine with arms, fearing an escalation. But Washington ended up promising kyiv its Patriot air defense system and more recently heavy tanks, as did several European countries.
“The delivery of heavy tanks to Ukraine does not in itself change the strategic dynamics of the conflict: it continues to give it the means to resist Russian aggression,” he writes in Le Grand Continent magazine.
In the same way “the delivery of F-16 fighters, which would allow kyiv to carry out an even more effective air-ground campaignNor would it constitute a symbolic break that characterizes an escalation, since this type of air-ground combat is typical of modern military operations.”
Like the United States, Germany rules out the delivery of planes for the moment. And Poland said Tuesday that it is not having “any official talk” about transferring some of its F-16s to Ukraine.
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The French President, Emmanuel Macron, assured for his part that “nothing is ruled out” about this type of transfers but that the Ukrainians did not make that request to Paris for the moment.
On the contrary, others do say they are willing to deliver planes, such as Slovakia, which has Soviet Mig-29s, and the Netherlands, which has begun to replace its fleet of F-16s with F-35s.
AFP
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