Ukraine will use main battle tanks for a counteroffensive against the Russian occupying forces, Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov has said at a joint press conference with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence of Poland Mariusz Blaszczak in Kyiv, Ukrinform reports.
"We need a 'tank coalition' with the main tanks of NATO countries for a counteroffensive. That is, we will use them as a 'steel fist' to break through their defence line when these corps are ready. Our General Staff will decide where exactly to do this," Reznikov said.
He noted that to deter a possible new Russian offensive in the south and east, the Ukrainian Armed Forces will use available resources, primarily 155-mm artillery and other means of destruction.
"That is why we are saying today that 155-mm artillery and its ammunition remain a priority on the battlefield," he pointed out.
Earlier, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that the "tank coalition" currently includes 12 countries. However, it is still too early to name all the coalition countries and their practical contributions, as some of them have yet to make formal decisions.
In the first wave of aid from the allies, Ukraine is to receive 120-140 modern Western tanks.
The commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valeriy Zaluzhnyy, said earlier that Ukraine would be able to reach the front lines effective as of 23 February 2022 if it had 300 tanks, about 700 infantry fighting vehicles and half a thousand howitzers.