Sending tanks and artillery to Ukraine would make the London army “temporarily weaker,” according to a senior UK army commander.
The United Kingdom army’s commander, Sir Patrick Sanders, stated in an internal message to troops that the promised delivery of Challenger 2 tanks to Kyiv would make the UK army “temporarily weaker.”
In a message seen by the BBC, Sanders stated, “There is no doubt that our choice will impact our ability to mobilize the army against the acute and enduring threat Russia presents and meet our NATO obligations.”
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Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, made the promise on Saturday to deliver 14 Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine in the coming weeks. The move demonstrated “the UK’s ambition to intensify support” for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, according to Downing Street.
Russia responded to the move right away, claiming that the UK used Ukraine as a means of achieving what it claimed were London’s anti-Russian objectives.
In February of last year, Russia launched a military campaign in Ukraine with the stated intention of “de-Nazifying” the nation. Since then, Ukraine has received tens of billions worth of dollars of weaponry, including rocket systems, drones, armored vehicles, and communication systems, from Britain, the United States, and its Western allies. In addition, they have imposed a series of unprecedented economic sanctions on Moscow.
On Monday, UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace stated to the House of Commons that he required additional funding for the military. Over the next ten years, the Ministry of Defense has pledged to spend £24 billion on army resupply. However, many of the new enhancements won’t be fully operational until the beginning of the 2030s.
source: PressTV