Tanks that Britain is planning to send to Ukraine to help the war effort "will burn" on the battlefield, Russia has threatened. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed over the weekend that the UK will provide tanks to Ukraine to help Kyiv’s forces “push Russian troops back”.
Downing Street said Mr Sunak made the pledge during a call on Saturday morning with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. A No 10 spokeswoman said the Prime Minister offered Challenger 2 tanks and additional artillery systems as a sign of the UK’s “ambition to intensify our support to Ukraine”.
While the news was welcomed by Mr Zelensky, who thanked the UK on Twitter for making decisions that “will not only strengthen us on the battlefield, but also send the right signal to other partners”, Russia has issued a threat. According to Reuters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it would not change the outcome of the war in Ukraine.
He said: "They are using this country [Ukraine] as a tool to achieve their anti-Russian goals. These tanks are burning and will burn just like the rest."
He added that new supplies from countries like Britain and Poland, who have offered to send a company of Leopard tanks, would only draw out the conflict and would ultimately bring "more troubles" to Ukraine.
The Russian embassy in the UK also put out a statement claiming Mr Sunak’s decision to provide tanks to Mr Zelensky’s forces would “generate more casualties, including among the civilian population”. The comments come despite the targeting of civilian infrastructure by Moscow’s military during the conflict and allegations of human rights abuses in Russian-captured areas.
The embassy added: “As for the Challenger 2 tanks, they will hardly help the Ukrainian military turn the tide in the field. They will become legitimate large-scale targets for the Russian forces.”
Despite the warning, Downing Street has expressed confidence that Ukrainian troops will use British tanks effectively against Russia. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We have seen very clearly that the Ukrainian armed forces have been very effective with the equipment that we have provided to them.
“I think there is a plethora of evidence for that and we are confident they will do so again.”
Both Kyiv and Moscow are reportedly gearing up for a spring offensive as the weather warms and the Ukrainian mud dries out. The Times reported that there are fears in Ukraine that Russian President Vladimir Putin could amass as many as 500,000 troops on the frontline by April.
Earlier this week, Western officials warned that Ukraine would not be able to take back significant territory from Russia without an increase in fighting power – including tanks and other heavy armour. But there have been concerns within Nato that supplying tanks could be regarded by the Russians as a further escalation of the conflict.
