British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hosts the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky at number 10 Downing Street on February 8, 2023 in London, England, Britain. [Photo/Agencies]
Trip comes as Germany, Netherlands and Denmark pledge 100 tanks to Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a rare trip out of his country on Wednesday, daring to visit the United Kingdom in a bid for more advanced Western weapons.
It's his first trip to the UK since the conflict with Russia began nearly a year ago and only his second confirmed journey outside Ukraine since then.
The UK is one of the biggest military backers of Ukraine and has sent the country more than $2.5 billion in weapons and equipment.
Zelensky held talks with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at Downing Street. He also addressed Parliament and was scheduled to meet with King Charles III and UK military chiefs.
The visit came as Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands plan to deliver at least 100 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine in the coming months while Russia accused the United States and its allies of trying to prolong and escalate the conflict.
A joint statement by the defense ministers of the three European Union member states on Tuesday said that they are providing refurbished Leopard 1 tanks of the older A5 type from industrial stocks to Ukraine. And the initiative also includes the training on the Leopard 1 A5 as well as spare parts and ammunition package.
Leopard 1 is no longer in production. It was West Germany's main battle tank in the 1960s and 1970s until it was succeeded by the faster Leopard 2, which is more heavily armored, with a more powerful main gun and better targeting systems.
The German government's security council has already approved the delivery of 178 Leopard 1 tanks for Ukraine from industrial stocks, with the bulk to be delivered next year.
Last month Germany also promised Ukraine 14 of the newer Leopard 2 A6 tanks from its military's current stocks. The German Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that the first Leopard 2s could arrive in Ukraine by the end of March.
The ministry explained that how many Leopard 1 A5 tanks will actually be delivered to Ukraine depends on the required work because most tanks from industrial stocks need to be repaired.
Russia has repeatedly warned that Western arms supplies would only escalate the conflict.
"The US and its allies are trying to prolong the conflict as much as possible," Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu told a conference call with military officials on Tuesday.
Shoigu said that "such steps are dragging NATO countries into the conflict and could lead to an unpredictable level of escalation".
Also on Tuesday, Germany's new Defense Minister Boris Pistorius made a surprise visit to Kyiv.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov tweeted a photo of himself with Pistorius holding a model replica of the tank.
Longer period
Reznikov had earlier said that Ukrainian forces would begin training on Leopard tanks in Europe on Monday before the delivery arrived in Ukraine.
The trip to Kyiv was Pistorius's first foreign trip in his current post. He also met Zelensky.
At a news conference with Reznikov, Pistorius defended the slower German approach of approving tanks earlier, saying the longer period of consideration on Leopard 2 tank deliveries was justified given the decision's "gravity".
Berlin has repeatedly expressed that it did not want to be seen to make such a move alone, and it only agreed after similar pledges to provide tanks made by the US and the UK.
US President Joe Biden announced on Jan 25 that the US will provide 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. A new US aid package is expected to include long-range rockets. The total promised military aid promised by the US to Ukraine has exceeded $29 billion since February 2022.
Canada, Poland, Germany, the United Kingdom have also announced that they will supply battle tanks to Ukraine.
Canada confirmed on Sunday that the first German-made Leopard 2 tank that it is donating to Ukraine had arrived in Poland.
Agencies contributed to the story.
