Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov called on Western partners to coordinate actions as soon as possible and provide Ukraine with tanks, given that Russia remains a serious threat and is preparing new offensive actions.
They published a corresponding joint statement on January 19.
The ministers thanked more than 50 partner nations for the military assistance they have already provided, but noted that Russia still maintains a significant advantage in the number of troops, weapons and military equipment, and the Kremlin is determined to further intensify the hostilities.
"Russia's attempt to take revenge for its failures in the war against Ukraine, including the threat of a new full-scale offensive by Russian forces, is very real. That is why we appeal to all partner states that have already provided military assistance or are planning to provide it, with a call to significantly to strengthen its practical contribution to strengthening Ukraine's ability to defend itself, to bring this aid to a qualitatively new level," the ministers write.
"One of the most pressing and urgent needs of the Armed Forces today is to improve their provision of modern armored vehicles and increase their fire and maneuverability with the help of Western tanks.
We welcome the bold and very timely decision of Great Britain to transfer the first squadron of Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine. But this is not enough to achieve operational goals. Therefore, we are appealing to the states that have Leopard 2 tanks in service, including Greece, Denmark, Spain, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Turkey, Finland, and Sweden. We guarantee that we will use these weapons responsibly and exclusively to protect the territorial integrity of Ukraine within internationally recognized borders," Reznikov and Kuleba said.
They call on all states that have the appropriate capabilities to join the initiative to create an international tank coalition in support of Ukraine and make their contribution.
"We urge you to do this for the sake of millions of peaceful citizens of Ukraine, who continue to be in mortal danger from the aggressor state and the terrorist state of Russia, if the Armed Forces do not receive the necessary reinforcements in time. We urge you to do this for the sake of the citizens of your communities who demand to stop the terrorist state so that the crimes it commits do not come to their land and to their homes. We call for this to be done in order to confirm the right of every people on our planet to be the owner of their land. For the sake of celebrating the universal values of our civilization - the values of peace, freedom and of democracy," the ministers emphasize.
As you know, Poland was the first European country to express its readiness to provide Ukraine with German Leopard-2 tanks, but within the framework of a coalition of partners. Finland also spoke about its readiness to provide tanks in this format.
One of the German publications reported that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a telephone conversation with US President Joe Biden that he would agree to supply German Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine if Washington also decided to supply its Abrams tanks.
The Pentagon previously explained that the main reason why the United States has so far refrained from transferring Abrams tanks to Ukraine is the difficulty of maintaining them in combat conditions, as well as the need to train the military.
