The Ukrainian army will begin training with jaguar tank from Monday, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov announced.
“We are accumulating reserves and working to train more personnel, buy Western weapons,” he told reporters at a news conference in Kyiv.
Reznikov also warned of an impending Russian attack. “We expect an attack. It’s February and Russians love the icon. We expect this pressure from them, and we are ready,” he said.
But tanks are not the only weapon Ukraine needs to defend itself against enemy bombardment. According to Reznikov, it needs weapons with a range of up to 150 km to be “more effective and aggressive”. The maximum range of the current type of artillery provided by the West is 144 km.
On Thursday, US officials said the US is expected to announce a Ukraine’s new security package about $2.2 billion will include long-range missiles for the first time for the country.
But these will not reach the distance Ukraine is asking for fearing that longer-range weapons – such as the ATACMS missile in high demand – will be used to hit targets in Russia, which Reznikov says rejected.
“I want to emphasize that we promise our partners not to use long-range systems to attack targets on Russian territory, but only on Ukrainian territory occupied by the Russians,” he said. “.
Talking about the military aid Ukraine has received, Mr. Reznikov said they have been provided with “almost everything” in terms of weapons except fighter jets, which he is sure they will receive.
Ukraine is not a NATO member, but in this war has become a “de facto NATO country”, he said, receiving digital weapons, standards and systems. “The only thing left to do is to be accepted into the statutory union,” Reznikov added.
