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Ukraine will eventually obtain modern Western tanks, aircraft: defense minister

26.10.2022 15:00
Kyiv will eventually obtain modern Western tanks and fighter planes to help defeat Russian forces, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has said.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov.Photo: Volodymyr Tarasov/Avalon/PAP

In an interview with the Politico news outlet, Reznikov said that, when it comes to donating weapons, “if you hear it's impossible, it means it will be possible in the future.”

“I’m really optimistic that Abrams tanks are possible in the future, and I am sure that fighter jets like F-16s, F-15s, or Gripen from Sweden will also be possible,” Reznikov told Politico.

According to Reznikov, Western countries will donate their modern weaponry to Kyiv on condition that this is preceded by a “political decision by Washington.”

Politico reported that last November Reznikov came to Washington and asked for Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, but was told that it was impossible.

Reznikov said: “I asked them why. The answer was because it’s forbidden by the law … and political issues. Then in January, a month before the invasion, we got our first package from Lithuania. It was the Stingers, and we got it with permission from the United States. So for me, it’s an example that if you hear it’s impossible, it means it will be possible in the future."

He added that the same process was repeated with the HIMARS rocket systems, which had a crucial effect on the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the occupied regions of the country.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Poland has become the second-largest supplier of weapons to Ukraine, with their total value exceeding USD 1.6 billion, according to officials.

Deliveries have included missiles, grenade launchers, rifles, drones, tanks, rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and ammunition, according to media reports.

Wednesday is day 245 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

(jh/gs)

Source: PAP, Politico