President Volodymyr Zelensky insists on the need for foreign partners to send main battle tanks to Ukraine and named which countries are ready to do so, provided that the manufacturer provides the relevant permits.
He noted this during a joint press conference with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
“The issue of tanks remains relevant and really sensitive. It depends on many things and, unfortunately, it does not depend on the will of Ukraine. We exert political pressure as best we can, but the most important thing is that we exert reasoned pressure. Against thousands of tanks available to the Russian Federation, the courage of our military and motivation of the Ukrainian people are not enough,” the head of state emphasized.
He noted that Ukraine needs appropriate weapons – either to have a large number of artillery systems, or appropriate – not equal to that of the Russian Federation – but at least an “appropriate, adequate number” of tanks.
Zelensky recalled that many countries have already expressed their readiness to provide tanks to Ukraine, but they are waiting for permission from the relevant states.
“Poland is ready, so are Finland, Portugal, Spain, and a sufficient number of other countries that are ready to provide Ukraine with even a small number of tanks that they have in service. And they were ready to do it earlier. We are all waiting for the approval from the country that has rights to certain licenses,” the president emphasized.
At the same time, he emphasized that Ukraine not only counts on the help of its partners, but also works on the production of its own weapons.
“We in Ukraine are waiting for the support of our partners, but we also count on our own strength and therefore we are engaged in the corresponding production. We are not ready to talk about the details, so as not to help our neighbor prepare,” Zelensky said.
The president added that the current arms supplies are insufficient as the lives of Ukrainians depend on the pace of delivery.
“Is what’s being given enough? No, it’s enough. It’s not enough for us to act quickly. Pace and time are important. Every minute is someone’s life. The sooner we are able to de-occupy our territory, the sooner we become more powerful, the more lives of our citizens the country will save,” Zelensky noted.
Source: Zelensky names countries ready to supply tanks to Ukraine
