Western allies lifted their taboo on the supply of heavy weapons to Ukraine, which they had previously refused to transfer due to fears of a Russian reaction.
This was reported by The New York Times on Friday, January 13.
The publication notes that the West has announced the supply of a number of weapons to Ukraine, which were previously considered too provocative.
"Western officials are increasingly concerned that Ukraine has only a narrow window to prepare to repel an expected Russian spring offensive, and are moving quickly to give the Ukrainians heavy weapons they previously refused to send for fear of provoking Moscow. With the expected new Russian offensive, officials see as urgent the need to shift the balance of power," the message said.
The New York Times writes that over the past few weeks, barriers to arms supply have fallen one after the other, starting with the U.S. announcement in late December of sending the Patriot air defense system, after which Germany announced the transfer of the Patriot, and within hours France, Germany and the United States promised to send armored combat vehicles to the battlefields of Ukraine for the first time. Now modern Western tanks will be added to the list of powerful weapons that will be sent to Ukraine.
"Since the start of the war almost a year ago, the West has resisted transferring some of its most powerful weapons to Ukraine, fearing that it would lead NATO into direct conflict with Russia. But seeing Ukraine's determination to resist, little prospect of peace talks soon, and the stalemate on the battlefield, allies are inferior to NATO," the publication emphasizes.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on January 4, it became known about France's decision to transfer a batch of AMX-10RC wheeled tanks to Ukraine.
On January 11, President of Poland Andrzej Duda announced his intention to transfer a company of Leopard tanks to Ukraine.
After that, Britain announced that it planned to send Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine.
Also, on January 11, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda announced the intention to send air defense systems and anti-aircraft installations to Ukraine.
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