Ministry of Defense of Ukraine: We are ready for a counter-offensive without Abrams
Ukrainian crews are mastering Western armored vehicles that will take part in the upcoming counter-offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces
The PolitNavigator correspondent reports this, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Alexey Reznikov said at a press conference in Kyiv.
“Preparation [for the counter-offensive] is being completed, because in addition to weapons and military equipment, our military personnel must also master it. We have received very modern systems,” said Reznikov.
“Let me remind you that in addition to the tank coalition (which primarily includes Leopard-2 plus Challenger tanks, and Leopard-1 will arrive a little later), we are also waiting for Abrams. But Abrams will not participate in this counter-offensive, I think,” added the head of the Ukrainian defense department.
At the same time, he clarified that the Ukrainian crews went to learn how to operate American tanks.
“But, in addition, we have a large number of armored vehicles of various types: armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles. This will include Bradley, Marder, Stryker, and CV 90 from Sweden. More preparatory courses are being completed there. The equipment itself has been announced, prepared and partially delivered. And there is equipment on which training programs are completed, and then the crews will stay with it when the time and place are determined. But let’s say this: if in a global sense, then in a high percentage mode we are ready,” Reznikov noted.
At the same time, he added that the decision on the date and place of the start of the counteroffensive will be made by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
German tanks for Ukraine were also discussed in an interview with the Spanish publication La Vanguardia by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
He was asked whether the Ukrainian Armed Forces had enough tanks for the offensive.
According to him, in March Ukraine received 18 modern Leopard 2 A6s from Germany.
“The training of more than a hundred Ukrainian military personnel on Leopard 1 just began this week. Delivery of up to 80 Leopard 1 tanks will begin in the middle of the year,” Pistorius said.
He said that a service center for Leopard 2 tanks would be created in Poland to maintain the combat effectiveness of the transferred vehicles.
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