Ukrainian soldiers on a tank pass the street in Kyiv, Ukraine on March 9, 2022.Murat Saka/dia Images via Getty Images
Ukrainian Zelenskyy has begged Western allies to send Ukraine more offensive weapons such as tanks and planes.
The USA, Germany and Australia have announced that they will send various tanks and armored vehicles to Ukraine.
Experts say Ukraine needs more offensive than defensive weapons if it wants to defeat Russia.
Since Russia began its invasion on February 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has begged Western allies to support Ukraine by sending in more offensive weapons like tanks and planes.
“We don’t want a million high-quality bulletproof vests or any special brand of helmets. Give me something to defend my country, my state,” Zelenskyi told Fox News on Friday.
On March 24, Zelenskyy asked NATO to donate or sell 500 tanks to Ukraine. “They have at least 20,000 tanks! Ukraine has asked that one percent, one percent of all their tanks be given or sold to us.”
Now Western governments seem to be starting to heed his call.
Germany has also agreed to the delivery of 56 Pbv 501 “main battle tanks” to Ukraine, a spokesman for the German Defense Ministry told CNN on Friday. Known as “Infantry Fighting Vehicles” (IFVs), the modified Soviet-era Pbv-501 is among the first heavy armor made available to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
With a range of 300 miles, German armored personnel carriers weigh 13 tons and can be equipped with various turrets. The purpose-built vehicles are currently with a weapons supplier in the Czech Republic, but they need approval from Berlin to send them to Ukraine, Defense Brief said.
Ukrainian officials previously criticized Germany’s meager offer of 5,000 helmets in January amid growing fears of an imminent Russian invasion.
“We had to change course 180 degrees in Germany because Ukraine needed our military support. We tried everything to avoid this war, but it was Putin’s decision to do the opposite and that’s why we are now also supplying arms to Ukraine,” German Das Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told CNN.
The story goes on
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison also hinted that Australian Bushmaster armored vehicles would be sent to Ukraine at Zelenskyy’s direct request, The Strategist reported. The four-wheeled, armored Bushmaster is a protected vehicle from which up to 10 infantry can dismount for action.
Justin Crump, a military veteran and CEO of British risk intelligence firm Sibylline, told Insider that Western allies have so far supported Ukraine mainly by supplying defense weapons.
“We thought Ukraine was fighting an insurgency by now, and they aren’t. They’re still fighting a conventional war against Russia, and we haven’t equipped them for it,” Crump said.
“Sending the handheld systems is useful, but you can’t go offensive with these weapons, they’re defensive weapons. Well, you can’t defend yourself forever, can you?”
A recent report by non-partisan think tank The Atlantic Council said the West “needs to reconsider the types of weapons being shipped to Ukraine.”
To win a conventional war against Russia, Ukraine needs large supplies of offensive weapons such as tanks, artillery and multiple missile systems, the report said.
The US government plans to work with allies to help hand over Soviet tanks to Ukrainian forces, a Washington government official told the New York Times on Friday.
The move marks the first time the US has helped ship tanks to Ukraine since Russia invaded more than five weeks ago.
The US previously rejected an offer by Poland to move Soviet-era fighter jets to Ukraine, and the Pentagon said it could raise “serious concerns for the entire NATO alliance”.
The Department of Defense also on Friday announced a new $300 million security assistance package for Ukraine, including laser-guided missile systems, Switchblade loitering missile drones, non-standard munitions and medical supplies.
Although Western governments appear to be increasing their support, Zelenskyy has criticized the continued delays in arms deliveries. In fact, it could be weeks before Germany’s promised armored vehicles arrive on the battlefield, experts say.
Speaking to Fox News on Friday, Zelenskyi questioned whether Western governments were “playing games.”
“When we see the process of transferring these weapons slowing down, people start asking the question. Is that really true?” he said.
“Maybe there is a game behind it. I don’t want to believe that some of our partners are playing games.”
Read the original article on Business Insider