Ukraine on Thursday asked its Western allies to “significantly increase” arms supplies to enable its army to counter Russian forces, specifically appealing to a number of 12 countries, including Germany and Turkey, that have Leopard tanks, which Kyiv has been asking about.
“We call on all partner countries that have already provided or are considering the possibility of providing military aid, with a request to significantly increase their contribution,” said the joint statement of the Ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs Oleksiy Reznikov and Dmytro Kuleba, reports Agerpres.
The two ministers are asking 12 countries, including Turkey, which presents itself as a mediator in the conflict, and Germany, which, according to Ukrainians, is slow to respond to Kyiv’s request to provide Leopard 2 tanks as soon as possible, “one of the most pressing and urgent needs” of the Ukrainian army.
The call comes ahead of an important meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine in Ramstein, Germany, to further coordinate aid to Kyiv as the Russian military rushes into the battle for Bakhmut (east).
International military aid must be “raised to a qualitatively new level”, assured two Ukrainian ministers.
“Ukraine guarantees that it will use these weapons responsibly”
At this stage, “Russia maintains a significant quantitative advantage in troops, weapons and military equipment”, they claim, despite the already very important financial and military aid of the West to Ukraine.
“We call on all these countries and other countries with relevant capabilities to join the initiative to create an international tank coalition to support Ukraine,” Reznikov and Kuleba urged.
Both ministers stated that they “guarantee” that Ukraine “will use these weapons responsibly and exclusively for the purpose of protecting the territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.”
Reznikov and Kuleba “welcomed the bold and desirable decision of Britain”, announced last Saturday, “to hand over the first squadron of Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine”.
But “this is not enough to achieve operational goals,” they explained in their joint statement. “The Kremlin is determined to further intensify its hostilities” and “has not changed its goals regarding Ukraine, namely its destruction,” warn two Ukrainian ministers.
“It’s time to stop trembling before Putin”
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak also called on Ukraine’s allies to supply tanks to Kyiv, saying it should stop fearing Russian President Vladimir Putin, CNN reports.
- “It’s time to stop trembling before Putin and take the last step.
- From Washington to London, from Paris to Warsaw, they say one thing: Ukraine needs tanks. Tanks are the key to ending the war,” Podolyak wrote on Twitter.
True leadership is about leading by example, not watching others. There are no taboos. From Washington to London, from Paris to Warsaw, they say one thing: uD83CuDDFAuD83CuDDE6 tanks are needed; tanks are the key to a successful war. Time to stop trembling in front of Putin and take the last step.
— Mykhailo Podolyak (@Podolyak_M) January 19, 2023
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Source: Hot News
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