UK agrees to send Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine – POLITICO

The U.K. agreed to send next-generation tanks to Kyiv in a bid “to seize on the moment with an acceleration of global military and diplomatic support to Ukraine,” Downing Street announced on Saturday.

The decision, which came following a call between U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, put an end to days of uncertainty on whether London should supply “game-changing” battle tanks like the Challenger 2 to the war-stricken country.

“The Prime Minister outlined the U.K.’s ambition to intensify our support to Ukraine, including through the provision of Challenger 2 tanks and additional artillery systems,” the government said in a statement.

Ukraine had previously requested about 300 tanks — a number that a Western official had described as “not unreasonable” to create the mass needed for a second successful counteroffensive against Russian invaders.

“The Prime Minister and President Zelenskyy welcomed other international commitments in this vein, including Poland’s offer to provide a company of Leopard tanks,” according to the statement.

Warsaw already has pledged to dispatch 14 Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine “as part of the building of an international coalition,” while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz appears to still be reluctant on whether to satisfy Ukraine’s growing pleas for more weapons.