Britain’s Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said, “The donation of these weapons systems gives Ukraine its best chance to defend itself against Russia’s continued brutality.”
His Ukrainian counterpart Oleksiy Reznikov said last month that Kiev’s preparations “are coming to an end” and that his forces were ready “in a global sense”.
But he also said that the Abrams tanks promised by the United States would not be able to take part in the offensive because they would not arrive in Ukraine until later this year.
However, Ukraine has received hundreds of other tanks, aircraft, munitions and other weapons from its Western allies.
Since the start of Russia’s invasion, Kiev has received over $150 billion in aid, including $65 billion in military aid, according to German Defense Ministry calculations.
Ukraine is counting on the success of its planned counter-offensive, as it could determine how much aid the West will be willing to provide in the future.