Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba (pictured) and Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov appealed on Thursday to countries that have German-made Leopard 2 tanks to send them to Ukraine, vowing to use them "responsibly and exclusively to protect the territorial integrity of Ukraine within internationally recognized borders." A report on Wednesday claimed that Germany will not agree to supply its tanks before the United States does the same, which also blocks other countries from sending their tanks if they were made in Germany.
The Ukrainian officials warned that Russia threatens to "destroy the European security order" and call on the West to "significantly increase" its support. "One of the most acute and most urgent needs the Armed Forces of Ukraine today have is an improvement in their provision with modern armored vehicles and an increase in their firepower and maneuverability with the help of Western-style tanks," Kuleba and Reznikov said in a joint statement.