MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th January, 2023) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday thanked Western allies for their decisions on the delivery of battle tanks to Ukraine and called on NATO countries to "unlock" the supply of long-range missiles and military aircraft to Kiev.
"Today I spoke with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. We have to unlock the supply of long-range missiles to Ukraine, it is important for us to expand our cooperation in artillery, we have to achieve the supply of aircraft to Ukraine," Zelenskyy said, as quoted on the government website.
Yuriy Sak, the adviser to Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, expressed his confidence that the West would eventually send F-16s and other military aircraft to Ukraine.
"They didn't want to give us heavy artillery, then they did. They didn't want to give us Himars systems, then they did. They didn't want to give us tanks, now they're giving us tanks. Apart from nuclear weapons, there is nothing left that we will not get," Sak told Reuters over the phone, adding that "the next big hurdle will now be the fighter jets... If we get them (Western fighter jets), the advantages on the battlefield will be just immense... It's not just F-16s (U.S. multirole fighter jets): fourth generation aircraft, this is what we want."
Earlier in the day, the German government said it would send 14 Leopard 2A6 battle tanks to Ukraine. In the near future, Germany will prepare two tank battalions for Ukraine (around 60 tanks). Ukrainian tank crews are expected to start their training in Germany soon.
The White House on Wednesday also confirmed the delivery of 31 Abrams tanks and eight M88 recovery vehicles to Ukraine.
Western countries ramped up their military support for Ukraine after Russia launched a special military operation there on February 24, 2022, responding to calls for help from the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. In April, Moscow sent a note to NATO member states condemning their military assistance to Kiev. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that any arms shipments on Ukrainian territory would be "legitimate targets" for Russian forces.
