We, as representatives of civil society, call on the Western governments to form a coalition and supply as soon as possible Western tanks for Ukraine, including, Leopard 2 tanks which are in mass use in Europe. A declaration and decision to supply Ukraine with battle tanks would encourage other countries to share their tanks too. We're calling upon you to show a new level of solidarity with Ukraine following the Russian constant escalation.
Ukrainian civil society organizations call on Western decision-makers to unite and provide Ukraine with modern Western tanks during the next Rammstein meeting on January 20.
Ukraine is constantly suffering from massive Russian attacks on civilian facilities and energy infrastructure. There is a clear pattern of Russian treatment of residents in the occupied towns, which are visible after the liberation: torture prisons, numerous war crimes, kids abducted and deported to Russia and others. Russian intention to mobilize half a million soldiers in addition to the previous 300,000 indicates it has never given up its intention to conquer Ukraine fully.
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced that by the end of 2022, the Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated about 40 thousand sq kilometres of the territories occupied by Russia. It is 40% of the territories that have been occupied since February 24 and 28% of all the territories occupied by Russia. That proves a strong Ukrainian position in terms of securing people’s rights and freedoms. And such an advance was only possible with the support of our Western partners, whose help we are grateful for.
But to achieve victory and save innocent lives, Ukrainians need to have game-changing weapons. Unfortunately, until now, no Western country has given main battle tanks to the Ukrainian military under different pretexts. Ukraine’s Western partners should join together in a coalition to supply Ukraine with battle tanks, which will therefore also unblock the supply of battle tanks Leopard 2 from Germany.
The Polish President, Andrzej Duda announced the readiness to dispatch coveted German-made Leopard 2 tanks. They will deliver 14 units and expect other countries to do the same. Also, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said Finland could donate some German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine if a wider group of European nations also decided to do so. The UK’s Defence ministry has confirmed the announcement by its minister, Ben Wallace, that Britain will send a squadron of Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine.
We, as representatives of civil society, call on the Western governments to form a coalition and supply as soon as possible Western tanks for Ukraine, including, Leopard 2 tanks which are in mass use in Europe. A declaration and decision to supply Ukraine with battle tanks would encourage other countries to share their tanks too. We’re calling upon you to show a new level of solidarity with Ukraine following the Russian constant escalation.
We call for weapons to be supplied so that we can save innocent Ukrainian lives and establish justice and defend democracy. This is possible only with the complete de-occupation of our territories and thus a quick victory of Ukraine.