The UK is considering supplying tanks to Ukraine for the first time to help the country fight Russian forces, Sky News reported on Monday, citing unnamed sources.
“Negotiations have been underway for several weeks” to supply Ukraine with the British Army’s Challenger 2 main battle tank, Sky told Sky, citing a Western source familiar with the talks.
The delivery of the tanks would mark a significant step in Western support for Ukraine, but the British government has yet to make a final decision on the matter, the report said.
Sky, citing one unnamed source, said the UK could offer around 10 Challenger 2 tanks.
The Challenger 2 is a battle tank designed to attack other tanks that has been in service with the British Army since 1994. According to the British Army, it has been deployed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Iraq.
The British Ministry of Defense did not specifically comment on the possible supply of tanks to Ukraine, but pointed to the supply to date of more than 200 armored vehicles and other equipment, including anti-aircraft missile systems and anti-tank weapons.
“We will continue to build on recent donations through training and onward donation of equipment,” a ministry spokesman said.
The UK pledged to provide £2.3bn ($2.8bn) of military aid to Ukraine or even more last year.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverley said last week that the UK would continue to work with its Western allies to ensure Ukraine gets the military support it needs.
“Tanks could very well be part of that, and where they come from… which allies provide them is something we are certainly working on in coordination with each other,” Cleverly said after meeting with his German counterpart. .
“Leopards for Ukraine”
Meanwhile, Poland is urging other countries to form a broad coalition to supply modern battle tanks like the Leopard to Ukraine, Deputy Foreign Minister Pavel Yablonsky and other officials said on Monday.
“The case is in constant motion. First of all, we need to find out what our allies in Western countries will do, ”Jakub Kumoc, presidential adviser to President Andrzej Duda, told Radio Zet.
According to him, Poland could become part of such a coalition, but will not act alone, because it is unable to do so.
Kumoch called reports that Warsaw is ready to transfer several hundred or even all of its Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine “disinformation”. At best, he said, the debate covered “a few or a dozen articles.” According to him, the National Security Council will discuss this issue with Duda at the end of Monday.
After the decision of the German government to supply Ukraine with about 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, officials also continue to discuss the issue of supplying battle tanks.
On Saturday, the co-chairman of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party said he remains skeptical about demands to supply Kyiv with Leopard battle tanks without the approval of NATO allies.
“No country is supplying heavy battle tanks like the Leopard 1 or Leopard 2,” Lars Klingbeil told RTL/ntv on Saturday.
The Germans are sending Marders, an infantry fighting vehicle and a Patriot missile battery after resisting Kyiv’s call for months.
The announcement was made last week in a joint statement with the United States after Scholz spoke with US President Joe Biden. But Scholz has not promised powerful Leopard tanks, even as some members of his tripartite coalition government are stepping up pressure.
A poll conducted by polling institute Insa for the mainstream newspaper Bild found that 49% of respondents were generally opposed to the decision to supply Marders, while 40% were in favour.
When asked about the supply of Leopard, 50% were against, and 38% were in favor.
