Rishi Sunak confirms sending Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine
Key takeaways:
- The UK is to ship Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine to strengthen the nation’s war effort, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced.
He told Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in a call on Saturday, during which he assured he would send the equipment and other artillery systems, No 10 said.
Downing Street said the action shows “the UK’s aim to strengthen support.”
Rishi Sunak to help Ukraine in the war:
About 30 AS90s, which are large, self-propelled firearms, are also predicted to be provided.
President Zelensky has thanked the UK, stating that the decision to deliver the tanks “will not only bolster us on the battleground but also send the right call to other partners”.
Zelensky thanks Rishi Sunak and the UK for helping Ukraine:
He said the UK’s help was “always strong” and was “now sealed”.
No 10 said that during the phone, Mr Sunak and Mr Zelensky also talked about recent Ukrainian wins, as well as the “need to take on this moment with an acceleration of international military and prudent support”.
The announcement arrives as a series of missile attacks were reported at various areas across Ukraine – including Kharkiv and Lviv areas in the nation’s east and west.
Sunak on sending tanks to Ukraine:
Five individuals are known to have died, and at least 15 others were retrieved from rubble after a nine-storey block of apartments in Dnipro was damaged by one strike.
Mr Sunak said the Challengers, the British Army’s central battle tank, would allow Kyiv’s forces “push Russian armies back”.
About Challenger 2:
Built in the late 1990s, the Challenger tank is almost 20 years old, but it will be the most modern tank at Ukraine’s removal. The tanks will deliver Ukraine better security and more precise firepower.
