British authorities are considering giving Ukraine about 10 modern and powerful tanks of the Challenger 2 type, Sky News reports, citing anonymous sources. It is emphasized that the British government has not yet taken any formal decision on the matter. But if Britain does this, it will be the first time a Western country has supplied Ukraine with heavy weapons of this type. PREVIOUS WAR: The British tank Challenger was used in the war in Iraq. Photo: POOL / REUTERS Less concerned Challenger was commissioned in 1994 and has a 120 millimeter gun. We are therefore talking about a rather small number of tanks. But even so, the case can have great symbolic significance, says a Norwegian military expert. CHANGE: Professor Tormod Heier tells news that western countries are on the move when it comes to providing more powerful weapons to Ukraine. – The West is on the move when it comes to giving Ukraine more heavy and impactful material, says Professor Tormod Heier at the Norwegian Defense Academy to news. He believes that the West is now less worried about being drawn into a major war with Russia than it was six months ago. The background may be that the Russian authorities now appear to be more reluctant to threaten to use nuclear weapons than they were at the start of the war. Germany and the US next? The United States and Germany have agreed to provide armored personnel carriers to Ukraine. But the Ukrainian authorities have said for a long time that they want German tanks of the Leopard type. UKRAINIAN WISH: The German Leopard tank takes part in a NATO exercise in Poland earlier this year. Photo: WOJTEK RADWANSKI / AFP According to Sky News, the German economy minister has said that the German authorities cannot rule out deliveries of Leopard to Ukraine, but that they have no such plans now. A Ukrainian source tells the channel that it will be very important if Britain decides to supply tanks to Ukraine. – It will be a good example for others. First and foremost for Germany with their Leopard, and for the United States with the Abrams tank, says the Ukrainian source. Can change the balance Colonel Hamish de Bretton Gordon is the former leader of the 1st Royal Tank Regiment. He says Western tanks can tip the balance in Ukraine’s favor on the battlefield. – Strategically, this sends a very clear message to Putin that nothing is impossible, says the officer. SPOILS OF WAR: Ukrainian military displays tanks of the T-72 type that they have taken from the Russian army. Photo: Aleksandr Shulman / AP He emphasizes that the Challenger and Leopard are modern tanks that are well protected, fast and reliable. The Ukrainian army has so far used older Soviet tanks such as the T-72. The Russians also have many tanks that were made during the Cold War. Professor Heier says that Russia has probably been deterred by the US, which has both large conventional forces and nuclear weapons in and around Europe. – The West’s room for action has increased. The brutal language of power is something Russia understands and respects, says Heier.
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Britain is considering giving Ukraine modern tanks – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
