New Delhi: Ukraine will soon receive armoured vehicles from Western allies to fight Russia. French President Emmanuel Macron has told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that France will send light AMX-10 RC armoured combat vehicles to help its war effort, reported news agency Reuters, citing a French official.
Zelensky thanked Macron for the announcement and said "This is something that sends a clear signal to all our partners. There is no rational reason why Ukraine has not yet been supplied with Western tanks.”
A French official had said that it would be the first Western armoured vehicles to be delivered to Ukraine. However, in Australia has given 90 of its Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles to Kyiv. These armoured vehicles can provide protection against landmines, small arms fire and other threats.
The United States of America is also considering sending armoured vehicles, reported the news agency.
US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that Washington was considering sending Bradley Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine. A staple of the US Army, the vehicle features a powerful gun and has many variants.
While the armoured vehicles may provide more firepower to Ukraine, the country has specifically asked for heavier tanks to fight the Russians. Kyiv has been requesting Abrams tanks and German-made Leopard tanks for its battle. During a visit to the US, Zelensky had even made a pitch assuring that the Ukrainian armed forces were capable of operating the American tanks. He even told the US Congress that spending billions of dollars to combat the Russian invasion should be seen as an investment in global security, reported Reuters.
Fighting in Donetsk region continues
A senior US administration official on Wednesday informed that fierce combat is likely to persist for the foreseeable future in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, especially around the largely ruined, Ukrainian-held city of Bakhmut, according to the Reuters report.
"The fighting is still quite hot ... I think what we're seeing in Bakhmut we should expect to see elsewhere along the front that there will be continued fighting in the coming months,” the official said.