Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky assured on Friday that «there is no alternative» to the supply of German-made Leopard tanks to the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the framework of the war against Russia.
In his usual evening speech, Zelensky reacted to the refusal of the Contact Group for Ukraine, meeting at the German military base in Ramstein, to approve the delivery of Leopard tanks to Kiev.
«We will still have to fight for the supply of modern tanks, but every day we make it more and more obvious that there is no alternative but to make the decision on tanks,» Zelenski assured, as reported by the Ukrainian Presidency.
Despite this setback for Ukraine’s interests, the allies have committed themselves to reinforce the supply of armament and ammunition to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, an aspect that the president himself has welcomed.
«The partners are firm in their attitude. They will support Ukraine as much as necessary for our victory,» said Zelenski, who thanked international leaders, especially U.S. President Joe Biden, for their continued support.
On the other hand, the Ukrainian Defense Minister, Oleksei Reznikov, described the summit as «excellent» despite the fact that Kiev’s main objectives, which were to end the meeting with the approval to receive the Leopards, were not met.
«It was a great meeting between friends. The free world supports Ukraine and applauds the brave Ukrainian soldiers and our brave nation,» said Minister Reznikov on his official Twitter profile.
The German government has refused this Friday to unblock the supply of Leopard model battle tanks to Ukraine on the grounds that there is no unanimous opinion on their deployment, although it has not closed itself to taking the step in the future, diplomatic sources have confirmed to Europa Press.
The supply of tanks has been the focus of international attention in recent days, as Berlin has in its power to authorize the re-export of the tanks to Ukraine, as requested by Poland and the Baltic countries.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
