Britain considering sending tanks to Ukraine to help fight Russia

Move would constitute major boost to Western support for Ukraine

Britain is weighing up supplying Ukraine with tanks for the first time – to help the country fight Russian forces.

A final decision has not yet been made on delivering the British Army’s Challenger 2 main battle tank to Ukraine, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson said – but should it happen, the UK would become the first nation to respond to Kyiv’s pleas for “heavy” tanks.

The spokesperson said that Britain would continue to co-ordinate its support with allies after Germany, France and the United States all indicated last week they would provide other armoured vehicles to Ukraine.

“We haven’t made any final decisions on provision of tanks at this stage... Until decisions are made on these sorts of things, we don’t comment on speculation around what further equipment may or may not be sent,” the spokesperson said.

“We will continue to discuss with Ukrainian counterparts about what is the best form we can provide. And that’s done in conjunction with our allies.”

Sky News cited one source as saying Britain could offer around 10 Challenger 2 tanks. Ukraine hopes that a positive reponse from the UK will prompt other nations to act.

The US-led Contact Group delivering military support to Ukraine, of which the UK is a member, is set to meet on 20 January, and it is expected that any new announcement on assistance to coincide with that gathering.

Kyiv has requested on countless occasions that German-made Leopard II tanks, used by such allies as Germany, Poland, Finland, the Netherlands and Spain, be made available to its troops fighting invading forces.

Though Warsaw and Helsinki have indicated willingness to supply their Leopard tanks to Ukraine, it requires approval from Germany due to Berlin holding the export licence.

Britain sent 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Poland last year as part of an agreement to support Ukraine by freeing up capacity for Warsaw to supply its Soviet-era T-72 tanks.

In a statement, a Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “The government has committed to match or exceed last year’s funding for military aid to Ukraine in 2023, and we will continue to build on recent donations with training and further gifting of equipment.

“We have provided over 200 armoured vehicles to Ukraine to date – including Stormer vehicles armed with Starstreak missiles.

“We have also donated tens of thousands of items including helmets and body armour, mobility and logistics vehicles, anti-tank weapons, air defence missiles and systems, winter and medical equipment.”