On Monday, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov confirmed that Ukrainian forces would start using Western tanks in combat, most likely in the spring.
“I hope we will start using it, maybe in the spring,” Reznikov said in an interview with the Canadian CBC television channel.
According to the minister, the Ukrainian armed forces intend to form at least two tank battalions from the supplies promised by Western countries, which will be used to “continue the counterattack” towards Russia.
Reznikov expressed confidence that Western countries would continue to supply tanks to Kyiv, explaining: “This (the announcement of the supply of tanks) is not the end of history, but only its beginning.”
On January 25, the US authorities announced their intention to provide Kyiv with 31 M1 Abrams tanks. In turn, the German government confirmed that it would send 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine from the reserves of German troops, and also allow other countries to re-export them to Ukraine.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the Leopard 2 tanks would be sent to Ukraine “by the end of March.” Earlier, a similar decision was announced by the authorities of Great Britain, France and Poland.
