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After requests from Kyiv and months of negotiations, Ukraine will receive the first company of German tanks Leopard (“Leopard”). Poland will transfer them to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda said the day before in Lviv, during a meeting of the heads of the countries of the Lublin Triangle. Lithuania will provide Ukraine with air defense systems, said the country’s leader Gitanas Nausėda. What other weapons does Kyiv need – in the material of FREEDOM journalists.
At the end of 2022, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny, in an interview with The Economist, said that in order to reach the lines as of February 23, at least 300 tanks, 700 infantry fighting vehicles and 500 howitzers are needed. And he stressed that this is without taking into account the F-16 fighters.
Allies heard Ukraine. In the last week alone, Sweden, Canada, Pakistan and other states have announced new deliveries of weapons. But most importantly, the West has finally decided to transfer tanks to Kyiv. It is expected that after Poland, “Leopards” will be transferred by Germany. This was stated by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba following a meeting in Kharkiv with German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock.
“Every minute during the visit, we were invisibly accompanied by the theme of “Leopards”. I have no doubt that Ukraine will receive German tanks. Moreover, I think that the German government, somewhere in the depths of its soul, already understands that this decision will be made. The only sad thing is that it has not yet been adopted and therefore we are wasting precious time and lives,” Minister Kuleba said.
Thus, experts say, Ukraine’s allies have moved to a new stage of assistance. The West has ceased to be afraid of escalation from Russia. First of all, because Ukraine has shown the whole world that it is possible and necessary to fight against Moscow. And Ukrainian politicians were able to find the right words to convince partners not to be afraid of the Kremlin’s threats.
“Now is 2023. The war in Ukraine is not over yet, but the situation is changing. And now it is clear who will win. There are more battles and tears ahead, but even now I can say for sure who was the best last year. It was you. Free people – free world. There will be no third world war, this is not a trilogy. Ukraine will stop Russian aggression on our soil,” President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Deliveries of Western offensive weapons are especially important right now, on the eve of a new stage of mobilization in Russia. It is important to strengthen the Armed Forces of Ukraine until the enemy troops are replenished with fresh forces, analysts say.
The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense said that the next counter-offensive operation of the Ukrainian army is expected in early spring. And the new weapons of the West can become the basis for a successful breakthrough.
“In terms of how much we need, the more the better. Because if we need 300 tanks to carry out an offensive operation in a certain direction, then, of course, we still need to liberate both the Lugansk and Donetsk regions. And Crimea too. That is, we need a much larger number of tanks and armored vehicles,” says military observer Denis Popovich.
In the early days of January, France, the US and Germany announced unprecedented military aid packages for Kyiv. Each country has donated offensive equipment and artillery ammunition to Ukraine, and Germany has agreed to supply another Patriot SAM battery.
Read also: Ukraine expects a joint decision of partners on the transfer of modern tanks – Volodymyr Zelensky
