© NEIL HALL / EFE
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
“Guns, guns, and more guns.” This summarizes the direct request to the OTAN of the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dimitro Kuleba on his way through Brussels. From London, meanwhile, the “premier” Boris Johnson anticipated the shipment of the first consignment of armored vehicles, following the decision of the Czech Republic to send five T-72 tanks, to allow the advance of the Ukrainian troops towards the Russian lines.
“My agenda is so simple and can be summed up in those three words,” Kuleba stressed before the Alliance’s conclave of foreign ministers, highlighting the need for offensive weapons for the next phase of the war. President Volodimir Zelensky for his part insisted on the need to go further in the economic sanctions and impose a total oil and gas embargo on Russia.
Boris Johnson marked the way for the allies with the imminent shipment of armored vehicles to Ukraine, as anticipated The Times. The Ministry of Defense is torn between the Mastiff or the Jackall, trained for reconnaissance duties and equipped with heavy artillery. The armored vehicles would theoretically be used to clear the way for Ukrainian troops, but not to engage in direct battle with the Russian army.
“So far, Ukraine has carried out an essentially defensive operation,” he told The Times former British officer and defense analyst Nicholas Drummond. “What they want now is recapture the territory. And for that they need vehicles that allow them to assault Russian positions.”
“Any vehicle that offers protection against the Russian artillery threat will be welcome in this new phase,” Durmmond said. The shipment of armored vehicles could be accompanied by the assignment of specialists from the British Army to participate in training tasks for Ukrainian soldiers in unspecified neighboring countries.
“The next three weeks are going to be critical,” government sources admitted to The Times. “The Ukrainians have partially won so far by stopping the occupation, exhausting the Russian army and achieving the international isolation of Putin. The big question now is: Will they be able to “break” the Russian army and push it back? That will depend on the help we are able to give them.
Boris Johnson has so far been the European leader most likely to facilitate the shipment of weapons to Volodimir Zelensky, who periodically presents him with a “shopping list”. shipping up to 6,000 anti-tank missiles New generation NLAW and Javelin has been considered vital for the defense of kyiv against advancing Russian artillery.
The next qualitative leap has been marked by the surface to air missiles Starstreak, manufactured in Belfast, which have proven effective in shooting down attack helicopters and low-flying fighters. The Ukrainian government has also requested the shipment of Tomahawk anti-ship missiles, considered essential for the defense of Odesa and the strip of exit to the Black Sea.
At the top of Ukraine’s proposed “shopping list” continue to be fighters Falcon and MIG-29 and the T-72 and PT91 tanks, which have so far faced reservations within NATO for the risk of escalation in war. The decision of the Czech Republic sending a train with five T-72 tanks to Ukraine is interpreted as a possible first step in heavy artillery shipments. Moscow has warned that all arms shipments from other countries entering Ukrainian territory will be considered “legitimate targets.”