Foreign Min-We Expect To Receive ~120-140 Tanks In First Wave

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has stated that Ukraine expects to receive between 120 and 140 main battle tanks from a coalition of 12 allies in the first wave of assistance. Kuleba stated that “These are [German] Leopard 2, [British] Challenger 2, [American] M1 Abrams. And we are counting on [French] Leclerc,” So far the French gov't has neither ruled out nor confirmed that it would be sending any of its Leclerc main battle tanks to Ukraine.

• The defence ministers of Germany and the UK have both stated their intention to ship tanks to Ukraine in late March or early April. The later the shipments arrive and crews are trained, the more difficult it will be for Ukrainian forces to launch counter offensives to retake territory held by Russian troops due to the spring thaw that will make terrain muddy and more difficult to traverse at speed, even in modern battle tanks.
• So far, the countries donating tanks have largely stated numbers much smaller than the 120-140 mentioned by Kuleba. The hope from Kyiv will be that with the initial provision of tanks, its troops can begin to push back Russian forces after a month of grinding offensives from Putin's army. This in turn would provide encouragement to Kyiv's allies to send more tanks, allowing Ukrainian troops to push back Russian forces even further.