Melnyk: Berlin should supply Kiev with more combat tanks, infantry vehicles and other armored vehicles
Berlin should supply Kiev with more combat tanks, infantry vehicles and other armored vehicles, Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Andriy Melnyk said in an interview with Tagesspiegel on June 12.
"Every [tank] Leopard 2 is literally worth its weight in gold for a decisive offensive," the official said, pointing to the loss of some of the weapons already received by the Ukrainian troops.
According to Melnik, Germany can triple the supply of tanks without compromising the country's defense capability. In total, the country has about 300 such combat vehicles in its arsenal, the first 18 of them arrived in Ukraine in March.
In addition, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine asked Berlin to transfer another 60 Marder infantry fighting vehicles and Taurus long-range cruise missiles.
On June 10, the official representative of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov, reported that the AFU lost nine tanks in the South Donets and Zaporozhye directions, of which four Leopard, 11 infantry fighting vehicles, including five American Bradley, 14 armored fighting vehicles, six cars, as well as Caesar self-propelled guns.
Western countries have increased military and financial support for Kiev against the background of the Russian Federation's special operation to protect Donbass, the decision on which was made after the aggravation of the situation in the region due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.
