UK to supply tanks to Ukraine

The United Kingdom will supply Ukraine with tanks and artillery systems as Moscow ramps up missile strikes against Kyiv and elsewhere in the country, the prime minister’s office announced Saturday. 

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak talked with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about taking action after “successive Ukrainian victories” have wounded Russian troops’ strength and morale. 

The two leaders “agreed on the need to seize on this moment with an acceleration of global military and diplomatic support to Ukraine,” according to a release from Sunak’s office. 

The U.K. said it plans to “intensify” its support for Kyiv by providing Challenger 2 tanks and additional artillery systems, and “welcomed other international commitments in this vein” from other countries as they take advantage of recent Ukrainian wins.  

The “always strong support of the UK is now impenetrable and ready for challenges. In a conversation with the Prime Minister, @RishiSunak, I thanked [him] for the decisions that will not only strengthen us on the battlefield, but also send the right signal to other partners,” Zelensky said in a tweet after the call. 

The U.K.’s move follows France’s pledge earlier this month to send light battle tanks to Ukraine.

The prime minister’s office did not specify when the U.K. tanks would be delivered.