Ukraine Urges Western Allies to Send Tanks; US Announces Latest Aid
By VOA News January 19, 2023
Hours after Ukraine appealed to its Western allies to send tanks to help its forces defeat Russia, the United States on Thursday announced more than $2.5 billion in military aid — but no tanks.
The latest U.S. package of weaponry includes 59 Bradley Fighting Vehicles and 90 Stryker armored personnel carriers. The vehicles come with three types of missiles, tens of thousands of artillery and mortar rounds, and additional HIMARS and other air defense systems.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is to meet with his counterparts Friday at Ramstein Air Base, where more aid is to be announced by other countries. But so far, Germany and the U.S. are balking at supplying the Leopard 2 and Abrams tanks Ukraine has requested.
Austin said "we'll renew our united commitment to support Ukraine's self-defense for the long haul" at the Ramstein meeting but didn't mention specific new equipment.
The new U.S. aid package brings American military assistance to Ukraine to almost $27 billion since Russia's invasion nearly a year ago.
In a joint statement on Thursday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov expressed gratitude toward 50 countries that have helped strengthen Ukraine's defenses, but they said the Russian military has a "substantial quantitative advantage in troops, weapons and military equipment."
The officials said one of the most pressing needs in fighting off the Russian invasion that began nearly a year ago is to provide Ukraine with modern armored vehicles and give Ukrainian troops better firing and maneuverability capabilities with Western tanks.
Kuleba and Reznikov welcomed Britain's move to send its Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, while urging countries that have German-made Leopard 2 tanks to also send them to Ukraine.
"We guarantee that we will use these weapons responsibly and exclusively for the purposes of protecting the territorial integrity of Ukraine within internationally recognized borders," the ministers said.
A U.S. official who spoke to The Associated Press and a German official who spoke to Reuters said Germany would allow the Leopard 2 tanks to be sent to Ukraine if the United States sends its Abrams tanks, which it has not agreed to do.
U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl told reporters Wednesday that Ukraine needs equipment to help it break through entrenched Russian lines, but the Abrams is not a good fit for Ukraine because of the amount of fuel and maintenance it needs.
"One of the things that Secretary Austin has been very focused on is that we should not be providing the Ukrainians systems they can't repair, they can't sustain, and that they over the long term can't afford, because it's not helpful," Kahl said.
New German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, in welcoming Austin to Berlin, said German weapons systems sent to Ukraine have proved effective, but he did not mention the Leopard 2 tanks.
"We will continue in the future, together with our partners, to support Ukraine in its fight for freedom, territorial independence and sovereignty," Pistorius said.
In Washington, a Pentagon spokeswoman voiced U.S. support for Ukraine if it attempts to take back its Crimean Peninsula that Russia seized in 2014.
"They have every right to take that back. Crimea is part of Ukraine. We've made that very clear from the beginning. If they decide to conduct an operation in Crimea, that is well in their bounds," Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted his thanks Thursday to Estonia and Sweden for their announcements of new military aid packages.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said her government was sending howitzers, grenade launchers and ammunition in its "biggest aid package of heavy weapons so far to Ukraine."
Zelenskyy called the aid "investment into our common victory."
Sweden said Thursday it was sending armored infantry fighting vehicles and anti-tank weapons as part of a $419 million package.
"Military support to Ukraine is absolutely crucial," Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told a news conference. "Ukraine's wishes in terms of what they want carries a lot of weight in our decision."
On my way to #Kyiv. Ukrainians are fighting for their land, for the future of their children. But they are also fighting for our common European values of peace and prosperity. They need and deserve our support. pic.twitter.com/ewLY4E9udX
— Charles Michel (@CharlesMichel) January 19, 2023
European Council President Charles Michel said Thursday he was traveling to Kyiv to meet with Zelenskyy and other officials.
In a video posted to Twitter, Michel said Ukrainians are "fighting for their land, they are fighting for their future and the future of their children," as well as "our common European values and principles."
"They need and deserve our support, and that's why again we'll discuss with President Zelenskyy and his team what are the concrete measures we can develop in order to make sure they are stronger and more powerful," Michel said.
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
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