Speaking on a phone call with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the UK after it confirmed it would supply Kyiv Challenger 2 tanks.
Zelenskyy tweeted: “UK’s always strong support is now impenetrable and ready for challenge. In a conversation with the Prime Minister, I thanked them for the decisions that will not only strengthen us on the battlefield, but will also send the right signal to other partners.”
After the call, a spokesman for No. 10 said: “Leaders have been reflecting on the current status of the Russian war in Ukraine, with consecutive Ukrainian victories pushing back Russian troops and exacerbating their military and morale problems.
“They agreed on the need to seize this moment with an acceleration of global military and diplomatic support to Ukraine.”
A Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank during exercise Saif Sareea 3 in Oman (File Photo)
A Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank during a land combat demonstration (file photo)
The spokesman added: “The Prime Minister has outlined the UK’s intention to step up our support to Ukraine, including through the deployment of Challenger 2 tanks and additional artillery systems.
“The Prime Minister and President Zelenskyi welcomed other international commitments in this direction, including Poland’s offer to provide a company of Leopard tanks.
“The Prime Minister stressed that he and the entire British government would work intensively with international partners to quickly provide the kind of support that will enable Ukraine to realize its advantage, win this war and secure a lasting peace.”
It is the first time in this war that Britain is supplying Ukraine with military tanks and it will significantly increase Western support.
The additional tanks could help Ukraine retake Russian-held territory, and the support comes in the hope Zelenskyy will be able to launch a decisive counteroffensive in the spring.
The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said on Saturday that Britain has allocated £2.3 billion in military aid to Ukraine.
The Ministry of Defense said: “Our commitment to Ukraine remains steadfast and we will match or exceed last year’s military assistance in 2023. The military aid we donate will help Ukraine defend itself against air raids, fight on land, defend its shores and be equipped for winter.’
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Britain after it confirmed it will supply Kyiv Challenger 2 tanks (pictured).
Zelenskyy said in an address to the Lithuanian parliament on Friday that his country needs “urgent decisions from our entire anti-war coalition”, including on the supply of tanks.
The move of the Panzer Squadron could also be an important step in convincing Germany to send its much-coveted Leopard II tanks.
Europe has more than 2,000 Leopard II tanks held by armies in 13 countries, but Berlin’s approval is required before a German-made kit can be re-exported to Ukraine.
According to reports, a total of 12 of the British Challenger 2 tanks will be delivered to Ukraine as part of the additional support. Four will initially be deployed to the war-torn country, before a further eight will be deployed at a later date.
A source of pride for the British military, Challenger 2 tanks have been in service for almost 25 years. They weigh 62.5 tons each and are armed with a 120mm rifled cannon and a 7.62mm chain cannon.
Ukraine’s military has previously said it needs about 300 tanks from allied countries to continue its war effort to liberate the country.
Pictured: Rishi Sunak leaves Downing Street on 11 January 2023
A Challenger 2 main battle tank on maneuvers in the Oman desert (file photo)
Former commander of the 1st Royal Tank Regiment, Colonel Hamish de Bretton Gordon, previously said the use of western tanks could “tipping” the war over Ukraine.
He said: “Strategically, this sends a very strong message [Russian President Vladimir] Putin that nothing is off the table.
When the Challengers 2 beat Saddam’s tanks 14-0
Tank changes are rare in modern warfare and the only time a Challenger 2 was defeated by another tank on the battlefield was a friendly fire incident in Iraq by another Challenger 2.
But it was in that 2003 conflict that the Challenger 2 had its proudest moment.
A squadron of 14 tanks from the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards faced a similar number of aging Soviet-era T55 tanks.
Every Iraqi tank was destroyed and every British tank was untouched in a battle that one cavalry said was “bike versus car.”
“Challenger 2 and Leopard II are modern tanks. They are much better protected, more reliable, faster.”
Earlier this week, Russia insisted that supplying Western tanks would only “deepen the suffering of the Ukrainian people” and would not change the course of the conflict. Currently, Russia relies on Cold War tanks.
But at the top of Ukraine’s shopping list are the Leopard II main battle tanks, which Germany has not yet delivered.
On Friday, French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the vehicles would be delivered to Ukraine “within two months”.
Other European nations using the Leopard II tanks, including Poland and Finland, have said they are willing to provide them, but this requires approval from Germany – which holds the export license.
The Challenger 2 and Leopard II tanks were specifically designed to take on the exact same equipment that Ukraine is facing.
A squadron of British Challenger 2 tanks was in Estonia this week as part of a NATO mission to smooth out any further Russian interference in Eastern Europe. The tanks previously served with distinction in the 1994 Bosnian conflict and the 2003 Iraq war.
Last year, Britain signed 14 Challenger 2 tanks for Poland as part of an agreement to support Ukraine, freeing up capacity for Poland to send its Soviet-era T-72 tanks to Ukraine.
Poland’s President Andrzej Duda said Wednesday during a visit to Lviv, a city in western Ukraine, that a company of Leopard tanks “will be handed over as part of coalition building.” He also noted that he wanted such a move to be part of a broader set of announcements, adding: “We want it to be an international coalition.”
German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said on Monday that the nation has no plans to send its Leopard II tanks to Ukraine, but that it “cannot be ruled out” in the future.
The military donations to Ukraine fuel hopes that Zelenskyy will be able to launch a decisive counter-offensive in early spring. Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers stand on their tanks in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, on Jan. 13, 2023
A Challenger 2 main battle tank in the Oman desert (file photo)
Last week Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said Britain was open to sending tanks to Ukraine and “will continue to increase our support” as Kyiv prepares “the next phase of its self-defence”.
Labor said it would support any decision to hand over Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, noting that such a move would help calm Ukraine.
However, John Healey, the shadow defense secretary, said: “Ministers must go beyond ad hoc announcements and put in place a plan for military, economic and diplomatic support through 2023 and beyond.”
CHALLENGER 2 KEY STATISTICS
crew: 4
Length: 11.55 m (gun forward)
Width: 3.5m
Height to tower roof: 2.49 m
Combat weight: 62,500 kg
Main armament: 120 mm L30 CHARM (CHallenger main ARMament) Gun
Ammo: 50 rounds – APFSDS, HESH, Soke (typical)
Secondary armament: C-axial 7.62mm chain gun, 7.62mm GPMG (turret-mounted)
Ammunition: 4000 7.62mm rounds
Engine: 1200 hp Perkins Condor CV12
Top speed: 59 km/h
Source: MOD