Threat of new Russian offensive is very real - Kuleba, Reznikov call on allies to provide tanks to Ukraine

The Ukrainian Armed Forces' General Staff published the statement. 

Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov appealed to international partners to provide military assistance.

They emphasized: one of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' most pressing needs today is modern armored vehicles. At the same time, it is important to strengthen fire and maneuver capabilities with the help of tanks of Western models.

“We welcome the bold and very timely decision of the United Kingdom to transfer the first squadron of Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine. However, it is not sufficient to achieve operational goals. Therefore, we are addressing our appeal to the states that have Leopard 2 tanks in service, including Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey. 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 statement says. 

Dmytro Kuleba and Oleksii Reznikov emphasized that the Russian Federation has significantly more troops, weapons and military equipment, and the invading forces will continue to conduct offensive actions.

“The Kremlin is determined to further intensify hostilities. Russia's attempt to take revenge for its failures in the war against Ukraine, in particular, the threat of a new full-scale offensive by Russian forces is very real,” the ministers emphasized.

• The Institute for the Study of War warned: the Kremlin's efforts to create conditions for a protracted war against Ukraine do not exclude the preparation of likely decisive strategic actions in 2023