According to the diplomat Makeev, without Leopard 2 tanks, the further reconquest of Ukraine in the territories occupied by Russia is impossible. Human rights activist Matviychuk is also calling for armored vehicles to be provided to Kyiv.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Oleksiy Makeev called on Berlin to deliver the German Leopard 2 battle tank to Kyiv as soon as possible. The diplomat made the corresponding statement in an interview with dpa, published by the agency on Sunday, January 15. “German weapons, German tanks are important,” Makeev stressed. “We have very little time for discussions. We expect our allies to understand this and act accordingly,” he added.
Alexei Makeev emphasized that without the Leopard 2 tanks, further reconquest of the territories occupied by Russia would be impossible. The diplomat made it clear that any delay would cost lives. The ambassador pointed out that Ukraine is waging a “proxy war” on behalf of its allies. “No one is fighting Russia anymore, and the Ukrainians are doing it,” he said.
“Russia is waging a war not only against Ukraine, but also against Europe and the entire civilized, democratic world. And in this war, Ukrainians are at the forefront,” Makeev summed up.
Matviychuk: Every tank can be a salvation
The call to give Kyiv battle tanks was also joined by Ukrainian human rights activist Oleksandra Matviychuk, head of the Center for Civil Liberties (CGS), who became one of the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. “No I really don’t understand why Ukraine is not getting the modern battle tanks and planes that we have been asking for for several months now,” Matviychuk said in an interview with Bild am Sonntag newspaper.
Ukrainians are “ready to fight for freedom and democracy,” “every tank can be a salvation,” “any delay brings death every day,” he added.
Defense Ministers Discuss Aid to Ukraine at Ramstein Air Base on January 20
The head of the Center for Civil Liberties believes that the uncertain position of the West in the past has partly led to the current development. “All the violence we’re seeing in Ukraine is a result of the impunity that Russia has enjoyed for decades,” Matviychuk said.
According to him, Russian troops committed crimes everywhere: in Chechnya, Moldova, Georgia, Mali, Libya and Syria. “There are no consequences. And now they think they can do whatever they want,” the human rights activist stated.
On January 20, defense ministers of Ukraine’s allied countries will discuss additional military aid to Kyiv at the American Ramstein airbase in Germany.
Warsaw and London are ready to deliver heavy tanks to Kyiv
Poland has become the first NATO country to announce its intention to send Western heavy battle tanks to Ukraine. On the evening of January 11, the decision to transfer a company of Leopard-2 tanks to Kyiv as part of an international coalition was announced by the leader of Poland, Andrzej Duda, after a meeting with the presidents of Ukraine and Lithuania , Volodymyr Zelensky and Gitanas Nauseda, in Lviv. We are talking about 14 tanks. At the moment, Poland cannot send tanks, because it requires a re-export license from their manufacturer, Germany.
On January 11, London also announced its intention to move tanks to Ukraine. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak asked Defense Secretary Ben Wallace to “work with partners” in the coming weeks to move “further and faster in our support to Ukraine, including the provision of tanks,” said Sunak’s office. According to the Sky News channel, London can offer Kyiv about ten main battle tanks of the British army Challenger 2.
Source: DW
It will be recalled that President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Sunak for his strong support.
Five countries are ready to transfer tanks to Ukraine – Kuleba
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.