Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy inspected Challenger tanks and met some of his country's troops during a visit to a British Army military base in the west of England on Wednesday.
Mr Zelenskyy was making a rare foreign trip, meeting King Charles III at Buckingham Palace after addressing the Houses of Parliament where he renewed his appeal to be given fighter jets, saying his country needed “wings for freedom”.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has asked Defence Secretary Ben Wallace to investigate what jets the UK could give to Ukraine and indicated that Ukrainian pilots would be trained to use them as part of a long-term strategy.
Mr Zelenskyy repeated his pleas for fighter planes as he visited Ukrainian troops receiving training in tank warfare.
“We know that our enemy has thousands of units of armoured vehicles back from the Soviet Union heritage.," he said.
"And of course, Nato armoured vehicles are the best and yet there are only a few of them.
“When you only have 10 Nato armoured vehicles against 1,000 Soviet armoured vehicles, well what are the chances?
“We have no way out, we have to stand firm. We need armoured vehicles, we need tanks, we need fighter jets, and obviously we spend a lot of time talking about this together.”
Mr Sunak indicated that supplying fighter jets to Ukraine would involve conversations with allies that help to provide the aircraft.
“Those are conversations that the president and I are having and making sure we understand all the supply chain needs that go alongside aircraft like that — making sure they can be used and used safely, kept safely," he said.
"So we are having that conversation.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses British MPs in Westminster Hall, London. PA -
Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle welcomes Mr Zelenskyy to Westminster Hall. AFP -
Sir Lindsay holds the helmet of one of Ukraine's most successful pilots, inscribed with the words 'We have freedom; give us wings to protect it', which was presented to him by Mr Zelenskyy. PA -
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Mr Zelenskyy arrive in Dorset to visit Ukrainian troops being trained to command Challenger 2 tanks. PA -
Mr Sunak and Mr Zelenskyy hold a news conference at the military facility in Lulworth. AP -
Mr Zelenskyy and Mr Sunak met tank crews in Lulworth. EPA -
Ukrainian troops in Lulworth, where they are training. Getty Images -
Mr Zelenskyy speaks to the media in Lulworth. AFP -
Mr Sunak and Mr Zelenskyy on board a Chinook helicopter, en route to Lulworth. PA -
Mr Zelenskyy presents a medal as he meets Ukrainian troops being trained to command Challenger 2 tanks in Lulworth. AFP -
Britain's King Charles III meets Mr Zelenskyy at Buckingham Palace. AP -
Mr Zelenskyy is greeted as he arrives at Buckingham Palace. Getty -
Mr Sunak shows Mr Zelenskyy around 10 Downing Street. Photo: No 10 Downing Street -
Mr Sunak and Mr Zelenskyy have breakfast inside 10 Downing Street. Photo: No 10 Downing Street -
Staff welcome Mr Zelenskyy to 10 Downing Street. Photo: No 10 Downing Street -
Mr Zelenskyy shakes hands with Mr Sunak outside 10 Downing Street. PA -
Mr Zelenskyy said he had come to 'thank the British people for their support'. AFP -
Mr Zelenskyy arrived in Britain on Wednesday. PA -
This is his second known foreign trip since Russia invaded a year ago. PA -
A convoy of cars carrying Mr Zelenskyy drives through Westminster. PA -
Mr Sunak greets Mr Zelenskyy at Standsted Airport as he arrives in the UK. Photo: UK Prime Minister's Office -
The two leaders on the runway at Stansted Airport. Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Instagram
“For aircraft, that is something we are also involved in because, as I said, we have other allies involved in the provision of those bits of equipment.”
On Wednesday, the UK and Ukraine signed the London Declaration, a British-Ukrainian unity pledge that condemns the “attack on Europe’s security and the rights of people to determine their own future”.
“Our countries stand side by side in the face of this aggression. We are the closest of friends, and the most committed of partners," the pledge said.
"Inspired by the heroism and resilience of the Ukrainian people, we have come together as never before. We share a common purpose."
Thousands of soldiers from the Ukrainian Armed Forces are stationed in the West of England where they are being trained to use advanced weaponry, including the Challenger 2 tank.
In January, Mr Wallace announced that a squadron of the Challenger 2 tanks would be sent to help Ukrainian forces.
The UK was the first country to promise modern Nato tanks for Ukraine, with Germany and the US now also committed to supplying Mr Zelenskyy’s forces with dozens of vehicles.
Kyiv hopes deliveries of advanced western weaponry will break the deadlock in the conflict, nearly one year on.
The Challenger tanks are the most advanced modern tank at Ukraine’s disposal and are expected to arrive there at the end of March.
The British Army has previously sent heavily armoured tanks during operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Iraq, without losing a piece of equipment.
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Turkeysold its Bayraktar TB2 armed drones to Ukraine. They can fly at an altitude of 7,500 metres and swoop down to attack targets. AFP -
The US also gave 700 of its Switchblade kamikaze drones. AP -
Cheap commercial drones like the DJI Mavic series have been modified in Ukraine. AFP -
Germany will follow the US in providing a Patriot missile defence system, pictured above, to Ukraine. Reuters -
FIM-92 Stinger rockets have been donated to help Ukrainian infantry engage aircraft and drones. The shoulder-launched missiles can shoot down aircraft. Photo: US Army -
Germany donated 25 Flakpanzer Gepard all-weather-capable self-propelled anti-aircraft gun. AFP -
The High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or Himars, can simultaneously launch several precision-guided missiles. The US has given Ukraine projectiles with a range of about 130 kilometres. EPA -
M777 howitzers and about 300,000 shells have been donated to give Ukraine an accurate artillery platform with a range of 50 kilometres. EPA -
Ukraine has been sent at least 5,000 of the anti-tank weapons known as NLAWs. These shoulder-launched rockets have proved deadly in the field. PA -
Ukrainian troops have also received thousands of Javelin anti-tank missiles. Bloomberg -
Poland and the Czech Republic sent Russian-made T72 tanks, which Ukraine has used for decades, to ease integration and cut down training time. EPA -
France as announced its plan to give AMX-10 RC “scout tanks” to Ukraine. "This is the first time that western-made armoured vehicles are being delivered in support of the Ukrainian army," a French official said. AFP -
Shortly after the French, the US said it would send Bradley fighting vehicles to provide "a level of firepower and armour that would bring advantages on the battlefield”. Reuters -
The UK sent their phased-out Saxon armoured vehicles. They found new life protecting infantry units in transit and dealing with tough off-road conditions. Getty Images -
Denmark has supplied Harpoon anti-ship launchers to help Ukraine defend its coasts. AFP -
The US sent 20 Soviet and Russian made Mi-17 helicopters to Ukraine that had initially been bought for the Afghan government in 2010. AP -
Germany has also supplied its latest version of the IRIS-T air defence system designed to shoot down missiles at altitudes up to 20 kilometres. Getty Images -
Ukraine has also been given thousands of small arms, bullet proof vests, medical kits, litres of fuel, granades and other weapons systems. Reuters
Built in the UK by BAE Systems and Land Armaments, the Challenger 2 is used by four armoured regiments in south-west England, at Tidworth in Wiltshire, and Bovington in Dorset.
The regiments are the Queen’s Royal Hussars, the King’s Royal Hussars, the Royal Tank Regiment, and the Royal Wessex Yeomanry, which is the reserve regiment.
Each regiment operates 56 Challenger 2 tanks and a similar number of supporting vehicles, in tasks such as reconnaissance and ammunition supply.
In 1991, a Challenger 1 ― a less armoured version of the modern Challenger 2 ― destroyed an Iraqi tank at a range of at least 4,700 metres, which is still thought to be the longest-range tank kill in history.
“One would expect a Challenger 2 to be able to take two or three direct hits from a T-72 or T-80 and still carry on, and the armour, which is highly classified, is designed to do that,” Col Hamish De Bretton-Gordon, who commanded Challenger 1 tanks during the first Gulf War, and later Challenger 2s in peacetime.
