The UK is ready to send battle tanks into Ukraine as British aid workers go missing

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Hanna Malyar, Ukraine’s deputy defense minister, said on Monday that the Russians were “literally walking over the corpses of their soldiers” in Solidar where “Ukrainians are bravely defending every meter of their native land”.

Zelensky spent months begging for Western-made tanks, air defense systems and fighter jets to squeeze Ukraine’s hard-won advantages in the battle for its survival.

The Ukrainian leader said he and Mr Sunak made “concrete decisions” to “intensify our efforts to bring victory closer this year” after the call between the two leaders. A squadron of 12 Challenger 2 tanks could be fielded from the army’s stock of about 200 tanks.

The Chobham and Dorchester armor of the Challenger 2—their exact configuration is a secret—would enable the vehicles to survive direct hits from Russian T-72s, which would be outgunned by the much superior British tank.

A defense source told The Telegraph that no final decision had been taken on increasing British support yet, but discussions on the issue had been going on for “weeks”.

France, Germany and the United States have in recent days promised to send powerful armored vehicles from Kyiv, but the Challenger 2 will be the first Western, not Soviet, battle tanks sent.

Britain faced criticism for falling behind its allies last week after promising Paris and Berlin lighter and wheeled combat vehicles.

Good precedent

Last Friday, the United States pledged an additional $3 billion in military aid to Ukraine, including 50 Bradley Fighting Vehicles. On the same day, Berlin promised to send 40 Marder vehicles, which represented a significant upgrade in the firepower of the Kyiv forces.

The Marder and Bradley vehicles lacked the firepower and protection of main battle tanks, but the move was seen as a turning point. Earlier in the week, France said it would send an unspecified number of AMX-10 armored fighting vehicles to Ukraine.

German-made Leopard 2 tanks, in service with several NATO allies including Germany, Poland, the Netherlands and Spain and soon to be joined by Finland, have been high on Kyiv’s wish list for months.

It is believed that Poland and Finland are happy to supply Leopard II tanks to Ukraine, but they require the consent of Germany, the holder of the export license.

Olaf Schultz, the German chancellor, was reluctant to grant permission while other nations were unwilling to provide heavy armour, in case the move was deemed too confrontational. It was hoped that if Britain sent competitors, Berlin could be persuaded to do the same.

Pretending would be a good precedent [to] Others – to Germany first of all, with their cheetahs … and Abrams from the USA, ”a Ukrainian source told Sky News.

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