Ukraine received “dozens of tanks” from Western countries, but this is not enough to launch a counteroffensive, Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Melnyk, former Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, said at a conference organized by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and broadcast on YouTube.
Melnik stressed that the country’s authorities do not want to “launch a counteroffensive that is not prepared.” According to him, Kyiv now has about 50-60 Western tanks, and Russia can “daily produce or bring into combat readiness” up to ten combat vehicles. “And this means that for a long time we will still be unable to achieve a decisive advantage on the battlefield,” the diplomat said.
Nevertheless, according to Melnyk, Ukraine expects to achieve peace this year. The Deputy Foreign Minister called on Western states to increase military support and supply fighter jets to Kyiv.
On the eve of the head of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov, at a meeting with a delegation of the EU Committee on Politics and Security, said that for a counteroffensive, Kyiv first of all needs “heavy equipment and trained reserves.” The head of the defense department admitted that German-made Leopard tanks, some of which have already arrived in the country, can be used during the counteroffensive in April-May.
Source: Rosbalt
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
