NATO stressed Thursday that Ukraine needs battle tanks to match the Russian forces it is fighting against in the Donbas region, noting that it is also an important resource for Kiev to regain its Russian-occupied territory.
«In a war like this any kind of equipment is necessary. The Russians are fighting with tanks, so the Ukrainians need them too. If you have a tank on the other side, opposite you, it’s better to have a tank,» NATO Military Committee chairman Rob Bauer told a press conference after the meeting of allied chiefs of defense staff.
In the midst of the debate about the West sending tanks to Ukraine to continue the fighting against Russia in the Donbas region, the NATO military chief said that this step would be relevant to «match what the enemy has».
Bauer has gone further, insisting that «in terms of ambition» of the Ukrainians these systems can be key to retake their territory. «A tank is an important weapon system to fight the Russians and drive them out of the territory,» he noted.
In any case, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) Christopher Cavoli, has explained at the same press conference that «there is no particular weapon system that is a silver bullet.» «You need a balance of all systems,» the U.S. military commander defended.
The head of NATO’s military operations stressed that it is «obvious» that Western military technology is outperforming Russian technology during the war, suggesting the importance that battle tanks can play in the Ukrainian context.
But, at the same time, he has emphasized that «it’s not just about tanks,» but about the whole system that includes the supply chain, logistic systems, maintenance or target-finding capabilities. «All this goes hand in hand,» he defended.
NATO CAN MANAGE THE RISK Likewise, on the risk that the supply of tanks to Ukraine entails for the Atlantic Alliance, which Russia has already warned that it means an escalation on the part of NATO countries, Cavoli has been categorical in saying that the organization, by virtue of contacts between allies, has the capacity to manage these security risks.
«We have a variety of escalation management tools and a vibrant political discussion that helps us overcome that. So, can we manage the risk? Yes, absolutely,» he assessed.
RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE IN SPRING Asked about the future of the military contest in Ukraine and a possible large-scale offensive by Russia this spring, Bauer recalled that Moscow’s strategic objectives have not changed, so new attacks by the Russian Army can be expected in the coming months.
«That is the reason why the Russians are likely to opt for an upcoming offensive. It’s not something we know for sure. But that’s based on the assumption that if they haven’t changed their strategic objectives, the most likely thing that will happen next spring will be a new offensive,» he reflected.
For all these reasons, the admiral of the Dutch Navy insisted on the need for Kiev to prepare for this war scenario, in which the requests to the allies to reinforce their military support are framed.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
