THE Ukraine will receive “between 120 and 140” heavy tanks, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Tuesday (31), a few days after the Western Allies agreed to transfer these vehicles.
They are mainly Leopard 2 tanks, made in Germany and widely used in European countries, as well as other models. These vehicles are more powerful than those in Ukrainian hands and could revolutionize and even end the Russian invasion.
“The Ukrainian Armed Forces will receive between 120 and 140 modern tanks of Western models,” the minister said in a video on Facebook, recalling that these are Leopard 2 units of German design, Challenger 2 units of British manufacture and Abrams vehicles that were manufactured in the United States.
Arrival of airplanes
Having secured Western artillery and tanks, Ukraine is now asking for fighter jets to counter Russian troops, a demand the United States rejects but European allies do not rule out.
The President of the United States, Joe Biden, on Monday (30th) categorically rejected the idea of sending American F16 fighter jets manufactured by Lockheed Martin to Ukraine. These planes are capable of longrange strikes, which could increase tensions with Moscow.
However, the US President’s position could change given what has happened in recent months.
Fearing an escalation, the Allies were initially reluctant to send weapons to the Ukrainians. But Washington eventually promised Kyiv its Patriot air defense system and, more recently, heavy tanks, as did several European countries.
According to Olivier Schmitt, professor of political science at the Center for War Studies in Denmark, even the delivery of fighter jets would not contribute to a possible escalation of the conflict.
“The delivery of heavy tanks to Ukraine does not change the strategic dynamics of the conflict: it continues to provide the means to resist Russian aggression,” wrote the expert in Le Grand Continent magazine.
Likewise, “the delivery of F16 fighters, which would allow Kyiv to conduct an even more effective airtoground campaign, would also not constitute a symbolic break marking an escalation, since this type of airtoground combat is typical of modern military operations,” he added.
Meanwhile, the debate over the supply of fighter jets to Ukraine continues. Like the United States, Germany is excluding the delivery of aircraft for the time being.
And Poland said on Tuesday it was “not holding official talks” about transferring some of its F16s to Ukraine.
For his part, French President Emmanuel Macron assured that “nothing is excluded” with this type of transfer, but that the Ukrainians have not yet submitted this request to Paris.
On the contrary, others say they are ready to deliver aircraft, like Slovakia, which has the Soviet Mig29, and the Netherlands, which has started replacing its fleet of F16s with F35s.
An allround fighter
Like the German Leopard heavy tank, “the F16 is one of the most produced fighters in the world, so there are a lot of them and many European countries have them,” says Olivier Fourt, a journalist specializing in military aviation.
“He is an excellent hunter, very versatile. In theory, it includes all US and NATO airtosurface and airtoair weapons. [Organização do Tratado do Atlântico Norte]’ he says, although he warns that ‘in the United States the reexport rules are very strict’.
Experts say Western warplanes would allow Moscow troops to attack Russians and prevent them from bombing urban centers and energy infrastructure. But by themselves they would not be a miracle solution to the conflict.
“Western warplanes would certainly increase the survivability and airtoair performance of Ukrainian forces against the Russians. However, they would still be exposed to Russian antiaircraft defenses, which would limit their ground attack options,” notes Justin Bronk, an expert at the British research center Rusi.
Finally, there is the issue of the pilots, French retired General JeanPaul Palomeros, who was part of NATO’s socalled Allied Command Transformation, told AFP.
“Ukrainian pilots would have to be found for training. But how many of them are in action today?” asks the former command officer.
In one year, the Ukrainian army lost about 50 Soviet fighters.
“It takes at least three months to train an already qualified pilot in a modern fighter aircraft. You don’t build an air force overnight,” the general said.