UK says it’s accelerating diplomatic, military support to Ukraine

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Britain said Monday that the country is stepping up military support to Ukraine and has decided to send Challenger 2 tanks to Kyiv.

"We’re accelerating our support to Ukraine with the most significant UK package of combat power to date," Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Twitter, referring to sending tanks and AS90 self-propelled guns.

The Prime Minister's Office said in a statement that sending Challenger 2 tanks to Kyiv is "the start of a gear change" in the UK’s support.

"A squadron of 14 tanks will go into the country in the coming weeks after the Prime Minister told (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy that the UK would provide additional support to aid Ukraine’s land war. Around 30 AS90s, which are large, self-propelled guns operated by five gunners, are expected to follow."

Additionally, the UK will also begin training the Ukrainian Armed Forces to use the tanks and guns in the coming days.

As part of the policy on accelerating diplomatic support, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace will travel to Estonia and Germany this week while Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will also travel to the US and then travel to Canada, the office said in the statement.

Meanwhile, Wallace and his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar held a meeting early Monday in London.

"The UK and Türkiye enjoy a close relationship as NATO allies with a history of shared responsibilities," said the British Defense Ministry, adding the two ministers discussed strengthening defense ties and issues of regional security, including Russia's war on Ukraine.