Britain is considering supplying a handful of Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine | Ukraine

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Britain is considering supplying a handful of Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, the first time a Western country has indicated it might supply its own homemade heavy armor to Kyiv in the war against Russia.

British sources added that no final decision has been made by Downing Street, but Ukraine hopes positive action by the UK can help persuade Germany to follow suit later this month with its Leopard 2 battle tanks.

A second source said Ukraine had been asking for British tanks “since the summer”. But the truth is that the UK, with a total fleet of 227, has a small supply compared to what Germany and the US make.

An initial report from Sky News indicated that the UK was considering supplying around 10 Challenger 2s, just a fraction of the 300 that Kyiv wants as it tries to build up mechanical strength in pursuit of victory after more than 10 months of war.

There are about 2,000 Leopard 2s in service in Europe with 13 different countries, but because they were originally made in Germany, approval from Berlin would be required if any were to be re-exported to Ukraine.

Western countries have already announced an increase in their military aid to Ukraine this year. Last week, the United States and Germany said they would supply 50 Bradleys and 40 Mardier combat vehicles, respectively.

This followed France’s announcement that it would supply an estimated number of 30 AMX-10 RC light armored vehicles in what appeared to be a coordinated series of announcements.

Kyiv hopes to achieve a further breakthrough in or in the run-up to the next meeting of the “Ramstein” contact group of Western defense ministers, scheduled for January 20. Headed by the United States, the group coordinates military aid to Ukraine.

Last week, the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, said: “There is no logical reason why Ukraine has not yet been supplied with Western-type tanks.” He highlighted the upcoming Rammstein meeting as a key point where a decision could be made.

At the end of last year, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Valery Zaluzhny, called for 300 tanks and 600-700 combat vehicles to help Ukraine defeat the Russian invaders. But until last week, NATO countries were unwilling to supply Western-made armor to Kyiv, fearing Moscow would interpret it as escalatory.

Instead, efforts were made to send Soviet-era weapons, more familiar to the Ukrainian military, from the countries of the former Central and Eastern Bloc. Last year, Poland and the Czech Republic sent more than 200 Soviet-era T-72 tanks to Ukraine.

Infantry fighting vehicles such as the Bradleys and Marders are one step below main battle tanks such as Challenger 2s, Panthers and American Abrams, which carry a heavier gun and thicker armour.

Western military aid has been crucial to continuing Ukraine’s war against Russia, but the vast array of equipment Kyiv has acquired creates complexities for training and spare parts. Although it may be preferable to try to obtain a large amount of materiel from one or two countries, from a diplomatic point of view it is preferable to work in concert.

Two and a half years ago, the UK briefly considered scrapping its entire fleet of aging Challenger 2 tanks. Instead, it decided to raise the level of two-thirds, or 148 of them, as part of the Integrated Review of Defense and Foreign Policy.

The UK Ministry of Defense said: “The government has committed to match or exceed last year’s funding for military aid to Ukraine in 2023, and we will continue to build on recent donations with training and more equipment donations.”

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