01/14/2023
By Jonathan Beale, defense correspondent, and Jasmine Andersson
BBC News
The UK will send Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine to bolster the country's war effort, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said.
He spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a call on Saturday, during which he confirmed he would send the additional equipment and artillery systems, No. 10 said.
Downing Street said the decision showed "the UK's ambition to step up its support."
The BBC understands that the initial commitment is for a dozen tanks.
President Zelensky thanked the UK, saying the decision to send the tanks "will not only strengthen us on the battlefield, but will also send the right signal to other partners.
He said the UK's support was "always strong" and was "now impenetrable."
Number 10 said that during the call, Sunak and Zelensky also discussed recent Ukrainian victories, as well as the "need to seize this moment with an acceleration of global military and diplomatic support."
The announcement comes as a series of missile attacks have been reported in various locations in Ukraine, including the Kharkiv and Lviv regions in the east and west of the country.
Five people are known to have died and at least 15 others were rescued from the rubble after a nine-story building in Dnipro was damaged by a strike.
Sunak said the Challengers, the British army's main battle tank, would help Kiev forces "push back Russian troops."
Built in the late 1990s, the Challenger tank is more than 20 years old, but it will be the most modern tank available to Ukraine. The tanks will provide Ukraine with better protection and more accurate firepower.
While the donation alone is not considered a game changer, it is hoped that the UK's decision will inspire other countries to donate more modern equipment to help Ukraine.
What military equipment is the world donating?
Live: UK to supply tanks to Ukraine
Currently, Poland plans to send 14 of its German-made Leopard tanks.
But the tanks, which are in larger quantities and used by a number of European armies, need German approval to be exported to Ukraine.
Ukraine also hopes the U.S. will supply some of its Abrams tanks, which use the same ammunition as the Leopard.
Earlier this month, Germany and the U.S. agreed to join France in sending armored fighting vehicles to Ukraine - a move seen as a significant boost to its military's battlefield capability.
Shadow defense secretary John Healey said the government had "Labour's fullest support" for the decision to send the Challengers.
He said, "Modern tanks are crucial to Ukraine's efforts to win its battle against Russian aggression."
Reacting to the news of the Challenger tanks, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, "As we have said before, weapons supplies are legitimate targets for Russian strikes."
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
