UK to double number of Challenger 2 tanks for Ukraine – ambassador

KYIV. March 6 (Interfax-Ukraine) – As a result of the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the UK, an agreement was reached to double the number of Challenger 2 tanks that will be transferred to Ukraine, Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK Vadym Prystaiko has said.

“Some of the weapons that we requested, for example, aircraft, are difficult here. We are looking for options. If tanks, then 14 tanks were promised to us, and as a result of President Zelenskyy’s visit, it was agreed that this number would double,” Prystaiko told Radio Liberty.

He also said the UK proposed to increase the number of training programs for Ukrainian military personnel by two and a half times.

“It depends a lot and it is normal because we don’t expect the same from all partners. Often our requests have the breadth of all NATO members. A good example with tanks or artillery mounts: we will now receive some 33 AS-90 155 mm mounts from Britain, but they have a certain projectile difference. That is, we need to be reasonable in what we want to get. If it is a universal charge, we can use the full range of this received technique, if we need certain capabilities, then we will get them, ” the ambassador said.

He said in negotiations with the UK, it is not about the names of the platforms, but about specific goals and objectives facing the army.

“Then, based on communication with partners, we determine what equipment, what platforms are needed to achieve this result. And then the search goes on: who has it, how much, in what condition,” Prystaiko said.

Earlier, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said British Challenger 2 tanks would be deployed to the battlefield in Ukraine in March.