


24 last year, Russia has shifted its emphasis from "denazifying" and "demilitarising" its neighbour to confronting a purportedly aggressive and expansionist U.S.-led NATO alliance. assets for helping Russia's military in the Ukraine war. On the diplomatic front, The United States on Thursday formally designated Russian private military company the Wagner Group as a transnational criminal organization, freezing its U.S. "Their priority today is air defence systems," she said, adding that France would respond to those needs by doing more on that front. It said its Leopards should be operational in three to four months, and Britain said on Thursday it expected the 14 Challenger tanks it is sending to be in Ukraine in two months.Ĭolonna said that Paris has yet to make a decision on whether to send Leclerc main battle tanks. Germany will initially send 14 tanks from its inventory and approve shipments by allied European states, with the ultimate aim of equipping two battalions - in the region of 100 tanks. The United States has been wary of deploying its difficult-to-maintain M1 Abrams tanks, but ultimately promised 31 to persuade Germany to pledge its more easily operated German-built Leopards. missile systems that have helped turn the tide of the war. Ukraine's allies have already provided billions of dollars in military aid, including sophisticated U.S. Maintaining Kyiv's drumbeat of requests, Zelenskiy said he had spoken to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and asked for long-range missiles and aircraft. "We have to form such a 'tank fist', such a 'fist of freedom'." The numbers in tank support," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address on Wednesday. Speed in training our forces, speed in supplying tanks to Ukraine.

Ukraine has been asking for hundreds of modern tanks in the hope of using them to break Russian defensive lines and recapture occupied territory in the south and east.
