Ukrainian military will begin training on using Leopard tanks on Monday, according to Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov.
"We are building reserves and working on training additional soldiers, receiving the Western weaponry," he told reporters at a press conference in Kyiv. Reznikov also predicted a Russian attack. "We anticipate an offensive. It's February, and Russians are big on symbols. "We anticipate this pressure from them and are prepared," he added.
However, tanks are not the only weapons Ukraine requires to protect itself from hostile onslaught. According to Reznikov, long-range weaponry capable of reaching 150 kilometres must be "more effective and active." The present artillery offered by the West has a maximum range of 144 kilometres.
According to US officials, the US is set to reveal a new Ukraine security package costing around $2.2 billion on Thursday, which would include longer-range missiles for the first time in the country's history.
However, they would not cover the distance requested by Ukraine due to concerns that longer-range weaponry, such as the coveted ATACMS missile, may be deployed to strike Russian targets, which Reznikov rejected.
"I want to underscore that we pledge our allies that we will not utilise long-range systems to attack targets on Russian territory, only on Ukrainian land held by Russians," he said.
Reznikov stated that Ukraine has gotten "nearly everything" in terms of military supplies, with the exception of fighter planes, which he believes they will get.
Although Ukraine is not a member of NATO, he claimed that because of this conflict, it has effectively become one by getting weaponry, standards, and digital systems. "The only thing left to do is to gain de jure membership in the alliance," Reznikov remarked.