Britain is planning to send Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Poland in a significant escalation of its military support so that Ukraine can then be supplied by the Polish government with Soviet-era T-72 tanks The Times reported on 22 April.
Boris Johnson revealed during a press conference in India that the UK was considering “backfilling” its Polish ally so that Warsaw can send some of its own tanks across the border to the Ukrainian army.
The Prime Minister also said Western allies are preparing to offer Ukraine a series of “security guarantees” which should make the country “impregnable” to a future Russian invasion.
Speaking in the Indian capital, New Delhi, Mr Johnson said it is essential to step up immediate military support to Kyiv, warning there is a “realistic possibility” the conflict could drag on for a “long period”.
“What the Ukrainians want – and I think are now going to get – is a collection of guarantees from like-minded countries about what we can do to back them up with weaponry, with training, and with intelligence-sharing,” he said.
“It will, I hope, enable the Ukrainians to offer deterrence by denial and make sure their territory is so fortified as to be impregnable to further attack from Russia. That is what we need to do.”
