Russia warns that the decision will only worsen the conflict
15 Jan. () –
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, has confirmed this Sunday the shipment for the first time of a consignment of 14 Challenger 2 tanks and self-propelled guns to combat the Russian invasion in Ukraine and “get out of the stalemate”.
On the verge of the first anniversary of the war in Ukraine, the British government has insisted on the need for an “international strategy to break the deadlock”, as it considers that the current scenario of a static war is only beneficial for Russia.
UK defense and security officials have considered that “a window has opened in which Russia is at a disadvantage” due to resupply problems and a drop in morale among the troops. For this reason, the prime minister “encourages the allies to deploy their support planned for 2023 as soon as possible to have the maximum impact,” the British government added in its statement.
In this sense, the shipment of Challenger 2 tanks, as recognized by the country’s authorities, is “the beginning of a change of gear in the support of the United Kingdom.” A squadron of 14 main battle tanks along with another batch of model 30 AS90 self-propelled guns will arrive in Ukraine in the coming weeks. The person in charge of Defense will give more details about the artillery and the military support next Monday.
Sunak has also confirmed that the UK will begin training Ukrainian soldiers in the use of such tanks and guns in the coming days, as the country has done several times in the past six months.
In this context, an extraordinary meeting will take place this week between the Foreign Affairs and Defense Ministers together with their counterparts to promote said international action, with the aim of accelerating the United Kingdom’s diplomatic and military support to Ukraine in the coming days.
According to the Downing Street statement, Sunak has promised to “equal or exceed” the United Kingdom’s defense support for Ukraine this 2023, for which reason he would have already instructed his ministers and officials to be “as proactive possible”.
The UK defense minister will travel to Estonia and Germany this week to work with NATO allies and other international partners to deliver a coordinated response to Russian attacks.
For his part, the head of Foreign Affairs will travel to the United States at the end of this week to discuss how both countries can take advantage of their role to promote new international actions in the war in Ukraine.
RUSSIA ACCUSES THE UNITED KINGDOM OF EXTENDING THE CONFLICT
By contrast, the Russian Embassy has regretted the decision. “The UK seems intent on reasserting its status as NATO leader in terms of arming kyiv and escalating the conflict,” he protested.
“Those Britons who are tired of war and harbor a desire for peace are disappointed today: you cannot put out a fire with gasoline,” Russia warns.
“The presence of tanks in a conflict zone,” he adds, “will only serve to intensify combat operations, which will generate more casualties, even among the civilian population.” The embassy believes that this situation “ironically is entirely in line with London’s objectives of prolonging the conflict.”
