UK seeks more German support with confirmation of Challenger tanks for Ukraine | UK News

[ad_1]

The British Minister of Defense called on Germany to release Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine after he confirmed that the United Kingdom would send 14 Challenger 2 tanks, the first time that a Western country offered its heavy armor to Kyiv.

Ben Wallace said the UK would allow the Ukrainians to start training with tanks immediately as part of a new package of British military aid, which was unveiled ahead of a conference of Western defense ministers in Ramstein, Germany, on Friday.

The British minister told the House of Commons that he would at least “urge my German colleagues” to give permission to Poland, Finland and other countries to re-export German-made Leopard 2s in the coming days.

There is a debate in Germany at the moment whether the tank was an offensive weapon or a defensive one. Well, it depends on what you’re using it for. If you’re using it to defend your country, I’d bet it’s a defensive weapon system,” Wallace told deputies.

Wallace added that any decision Berlin makes to allow the re-export of Cheetahs used by 13 NATO countries, or to give away some of them, will be a decision made as part of the allies’ broader efforts. “I know there are concerns in the German political establishment that they don’t want to go it alone. Well, they are not alone.

Analysts at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) believe that Ukraine needs at least 100 Western tanks to help it launch a successful spring offensive against Russia.

UK confirms it will send squadron of Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine – VIDEO

Getting to the numbers needed will need Berlin’s help. There are more than 2,300 Leopard 2 tanks available or in stock in 13 NATO countries, according to the IISS, while there are only 227 Challenger 2 tanks in the entire British Army.

Poland and Finland, which have huge fleets of German-made tanks, have indicated that they are willing to donate similar numbers to the United Kingdom, if Berlin allows it.

However, more countries will be required to apply to reach the 100 level which the International Institute for Strategic Studies said would be required. Some countries, such as Spain, have previously warned that their tanks are in too bad a condition to be donated.

The British minister also said that the UK will aim to train 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers this year, with the help of a range of partner countries, currently including Australia. Last year Britain trained 11,000 in Kyiv.

In addition, Britain will donate eight AS90 artillery guns as well as 100,000 artillery shells and, Wallace said, “hundreds more” of light armored vehicles, some of which the UK may buy from other sources and then give to Kyiv.

General Sir Patrick Sanders, Chief of the General Staff, told British forces in an internal email that “Ukraine needs our tanks and guns now” and that he was confident the country would put British equipment “to good use”.

But the Army chief acknowledged that giving up “battle-winning capabilities” would “leave us temporarily weaker as an Army, there’s no denying that” — and confirmed that alternatives to the AS90 rifle would be introduced sooner than expected, in 2027.

Ukraine’s senior adviser to the president said his country is deeply grateful to the British people and to the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, for the latest military aid package. “The gift list is really impressive. We will use it in defense of our freedom.”

Russia said Britain was using Ukraine “as a tool to achieve its anti-Russian goals”, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Peskov warned the West about more arms supplies, and added: “These tanks are burning and will burn like the rest of the tanks.”

Britain says it has never lost a Challenger 2 tank in combat, although the last time it was deployed was in Iraq. Previously it was used in military operations in Bosnia and Kosovo at the end of the previous decade.

A decision from Germany is now awaited before the Rammstein meeting on Friday. But there was turmoil in Berlin after Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht announced her resignation after a series of blunders.

German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht. Photograph: Radovan Stoklasa/Reuters

Lambrecht said in a statement Monday morning that Lambrecht had asked German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to accept her resignation, after widespread speculation in recent days that she would step down.

Schulze’s judgment about hiring Lambrecht in the first place has been called into question. He is pressured to replace her with another woman, in order to fulfill his pledge to have an equal number of men and women in his government.

In her resignation statement, Lambrecht said: “The months of media focus on me do not allow fact-based reporting and discussions about soldiers, the army and security policy for the benefit of German citizens.”

From the start of her appointment in December 2021, Lambrecht was seen as a weak candidate for the job. Informed sources say that the former Minister of Justice originally hoped to secure the role of the Ministry of Interior.

When Schulz announced a massive increase in military spending by creating a €100bn (£89bn) investment fund for the German armed forces at the outset of the war in Ukraine, Lambrecht appeared to struggle with the scale of the challenge of bringing in the army. in fig.

The evident slowness in providing frequent reports coupled with the poorly equipped army. Last month, during a training exercise, all 18 Puma infantry vehicles deployed were taken out of service due to technical difficulties, despite being one of the military’s most advanced pieces of equipment.

[ad_2]