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Ukraine needs several hundred tanks from its Western allies to carry out a counterattack against Russian forces to recapture territory it controls, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff said on Monday.
“We need tanks – not 10-20, but several hundred,” the official, Andriy Yermak, wrote on the Telegram application. “Our goal is [restoring] 1991 border and punish the enemy, who will pay for the crime.”
Kyiv is asking for supplies of tanks, especially the German-made Leopard 2 used by many NATO members and needs Berlin’s approval to re-export them to Ukraine.
Poland’s prime minister said on Monday his government would ask Germany for permission to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine.
Germany’s foreign minister said on Sunday that Berlin would not stand in the way if Poland wanted to do so, but a German government spokesman on Monday said it had not yet received a formal request.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Warsaw would ask Germany for permission to re-export tanks to Ukraine, “but this is a matter of secondary importance.”
“Even if we don’t get this agreement … we will still transfer our tanks together with others to Ukraine,” he told reporters.
“The situation for us now is to build at least a coalition of small countries.”
Russia, Estonia on the diplomatic row
Estonia and its Baltic neighbors Latvia and Lithuania have been NATO allies that have strongly objected to Germany supplying Leopard battle tanks.
On Monday, Russia said it was downgrading diplomatic relations with NATO member Estonia. The Kremlin accused the country of “total Russophobia,” and its government responded by telling Moscow’s envoys to the Baltic states to leave.
“We will continue to support Ukraine because Russia is planning a large-scale attack, and we are calling on other like-minded countries to increase aid to Ukraine,” Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said in a statement.
Last April, Lithuania expelled Russia’s envoy and downgraded its diplomatic representation to the level of charge d’affaires, after Ukraine accused Russian forces of killing civilians in the town of Bucha.
Western allies offered billions of dollars worth of weapons to Ukraine but failed last week to persuade Germany to lift its veto on supplying the tanks.
The Leopard, which is held by various NATO countries, is seen by defense experts as the most suitable for Ukraine.
But with the change in Germany’s position, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Sunday her government would not stand in the way of Poland if it tried to send Leopards.
Ukraine says its armored fighting tanks will give ground forces more mobility and protection against a new Russian offensive expected in the coming months.
American lawmakers pushed the government on Sunday to export M1 Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine, saying sending a symbolic number would help European allies do the same. Washington has so far held back on the promise of its tanks, which use fuel-hungry turbine engines that are considered less sensible for Ukraine than Leopards.
Britain says it will supply 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron said he has not ruled out the possibility of sending Leclerc tanks to Ukraine. British and French tanks were cheaper than Leopards.
EU meets to consider aid to Ukraine, punishment of Russia
Both Russia and Ukraine are believed to be planning a spring offensive to break the stalemate in what has become a war of attrition in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Fighting is now centered on the eastern city of Bakhmut, where Wagner’s Russian mercenaries and Ukrainian forces have been locked in battle. Russia said on Sunday that its troops were increasing positions in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region.
This World Weekend20:07A factory in Canada makes tanks for the Ukrainian war effort | Capsule Edition
In this episode, we take you to a factory in Mississauga, Ontario – where some Ukrainians help build armored vehicles that are sent to their country. In addition, women’s rights activists in Afghanistan live in fear of the Taliban after the death of a former female member of parliament. Also, one year after the Convoy Protests in Ottawa – we see a debate about concrete barriers in front of Parliament Hill to keep vehicles out.
Meanwhile, EU foreign ministers are meeting on Monday to discuss more military aid for Ukraine. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he hoped to approve a 500 million euro ($726 million Cdn) tranche of support.
The ministers will also discuss using Russian assets frozen in Europe under sanctions – including 300 billion euros ($435 billion Cdn) from Russia’s central bank reserves – and using the money to rebuild Ukraine from the war.
Since the February 24, 2022 invasion, which it sees as self-defense against an aggressive West, Russia has taken control of parts of Ukraine and says it will never return. Ukraine says restoring its territorial integrity is not open to negotiation.
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