The US and Germany are now prepared to significantly bolster Kyiv’s war effort, according to reports, a move that Moscow has denounced as a “blatant provocation.”
According to the sources, Berlin has chosen to send Leopard 2 tanks while Washington is expected to announce its decision to send M1 Abrams tanks as early as Wednesday. Kyiv has claimed that this policy change will help reshape the conflict.
In his weekly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Western allies to contribute their most advanced battle tanks, stating that “discussions must be closed with choices.”
Heavy armor has not yet been provided by Germany or the United States because they are hesitant to make any decisions that would encourage the Kremlin to escalate the fight.
Moscow has issued a warning that supplying Ukraine with modern offensive weapons will make the conflict worse. Some Russian officials have claimed that Kyiv’s allies are pushing the world toward a “global catastrophe.”
Moscow has now made the claim that it is engaged in a war against the entire West in Ukraine.
It would be “another flagrant provocation” against Russia, according to Anatoly Antonov, Russia’s ambassador to the United States, if Washington were to send battle tanks to Ukraine.
In comments posted on the embassy’s Telegram chat app, Antonov claimed that it was “clear that Washington is deliberately seeking to inflict a strategic loss on us.”
Just days after arguing against approving Kyiv’s requests, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Tuesday that Washington was prepared to begin a procedure that would eventually transfer M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine.