NATO allies and partners have sent Ukraine some 1,550 armoured vehicles and 230 tanks to form new heavy battlefield formations in a little over 12 months, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday, promising more to come as part of a “multi-year programme of support.”
The deliveries, since the start of the war in February last year, represent “more than 98 percent of the combat vehicles promised to Ukraine,” Stoltenberg told a news conference, AFP reports.
“In total we have trained and equipped more than nine new Ukrainian armoured brigades. This will put Ukraine in a strong position to continue to retake occupied territory,” he said.
The Czech Republic was first off the mark last year sending tanks in April, as Breitbart News reported.
According to a report from the Financial Times, the shipment of tanks from the Czech Republic were donations rather than sales.
President Joe Biden authorised U.S. tanks to be sent to the Eastern European battlefield back in January.
He announced the Pentagon would send 31 Abrams M1 main battle tanks to Ukraine in what amounted to an escalation of American support for Kiev.
NATO member countries have also provided anti-aircraft systems and heavy field artillery while Poland and the Czech Republic have given Soviet-built MiG-29 aircraft.
Thousands of Ukrainian soldiers have been trained on weapons used by NATO with more to come in the approaching summer months.
In the face of what appears will be a prolonged conflict, NATO countries “must stay the course and continue to provide Ukraine with what it needs to prevail”, the alliance chief said.
Stoltenberg predicted a NATO summit in July in Lithuania would set out plans for a “multi-year programme of support” for Ukraine.
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