Britain to send 14 of its main battle tanks, more weaponry to Ukraine - Reuters

LONDON, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's bureau said precocious connected Saturday that Britain would nonstop 14 of its main conflict tanks on with further artillery enactment to Ukraine, disregarding disapproval from the Russian Embassy successful London.

A squadron of 14 Challenger 2 tanks volition spell into the state successful the coming weeks and astir 30 self-propelled AS90 guns, operated by 5 gunners, are expected to follow, the British premier minister's bureau said successful a statement.

The UK volition besides statesman grooming Ukrainian forces to usage the tanks and guns successful the coming days.

"As the radical of Ukraine attack their 2nd twelvemonth surviving nether relentless Russian bombardment, the Prime Minister is dedicated to ensuring Ukraine wins this war," a spokesperson for the premier curate said successful a statement.

"Alongside his closest subject advisors, helium has analysed the subject picture, looked astatine the strategical interaction of the UK’s enactment and identified a model wherever helium thinks the UK and its allies tin person maximum impact."

The announcement follows a telephone telephone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy earlier connected Saturday during which, Sunak "outlined the UK's ambition to intensify our enactment to Ukraine, including done the proviso of Challenger 2 tanks and further artillery systems."

Sunak's bureau said earlier this week that Britain would coordinate its enactment with allies aft Germany, France and the United States each indicated past week they would supply armoured vehicles to Ukraine.

The bureau besides said that the defence curate would update the British parliament with details of the information enactment connected Monday.

The Russian Embassy successful London said the determination to nonstop the tanks would resistance retired the confrontation, pb to much victims including civilians, and was grounds of "the progressively evident engagement of London successful the conflict".

"As for the Challenger 2 tanks, they are improbable to assistance the Armed Forces of Ukraine crook the tide connected the battlefield, but they volition go a morganatic ample people for the Russian artillery," the embassy said, according to comments cited by the TASS quality agency.

BATTLE TANK

The Challenger 2 is simply a conflict vessel designed to onslaught different tanks, and has been successful work with the British Army since 1994. It has been deployed successful Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Iraq, according to the army.

"The premier curate and President Zelenskiy welcomed different planetary commitments successful this vein, including Poland's connection to supply a institution of Leopard tanks," Sunak's spokesperson said.

Zelenskiy, successful his nightly video code published earlier the elaborate British announcement, called the expected assistance "important" for Ukraine's defence.

"It's truly what is needed," Zelenskiy said. "And I judge that akin decisions volition inactive beryllium made by different partners – those who recognize wherefore specified evil cannot beryllium fixed a azygous chance."

Reporting by Michael Holden and Lidia Kelly; Editing by Mark Heinrich, Angus MacSwan, Tomasz Janowski, and Deepa Babington

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