British tanks could soon be rolling into battle in Ukraine in a major UK escalation set to “enrage” Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Secretive talks are underway to supply Kyiv with British Army Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks, senior defence sources have revealed.
UK tanks on Ukraine soil would be a major defiant gesture towards the Kremlin and could swing the war further in Ukraine’s favour.
So far NATO has resisted Kyiv’s demands for tanks as it may escalate tensions between it and Moscow.
But a senior source said: “These conversations have been taking place. The talks are ongoing.”
Downing Street said it was important that Nato members maintained a co-ordinated response.
The Prime Minister’s office said: “We are working in lockstep with our G7 and other allies to guard against anything that could be escalatory.
“There’s lots of discussion among allies about how we co-ordinate the equipment we provide. First and foremost it is Russia’s illegal invasion that is requiring these sorts of response.”
Last night former commander of British forces in Afghanistan Colonel Richard Kemp told the Mirror exclusively:
“Western countries were initially hesitant about supplying offensive weapons to Ukraine, fearful of Putin’s reaction.
“Those fears have been eased by Ukraine’s successes and Russia’s palpable weakness.
“Now Russia is preparing a major new offensive and it is likely Putin will order a second mobilisation to give him the troop numbers to overwhelm Ukraine.
“We should therefore provide Ukraine with as much weaponry as we can spare, including the ultimate offensive weapon — tanks, even though this does represent a major escalation on the part of the West and will enrage Putin.”
It comes as Ukraine is seizing the initiative in the war, driving back Russian forces and claiming a huge toll on Moscow’s troops.
Brutal fighting in Bakhmut, in Donbas, has resulted in massive casualties for Moscow, often more than 700 men killed in just one day.
Moscow’s Wagner Group mercenaries are desperately trying to hold ground in the Bakhmut area but have so far lost several thousand men in the war.
It has as many as 50,000 mercenaries fighting all along the eastern front.
But Ukraine is poised to launch more major counter-offensives in the coming months.
Tank negotiations could be a signal for other allies such as Germany and the United States to follow suit.
Ukraine has been pressing for German-made Leopard IIs which are used by a number of NATO nations.
While Poland and Finland indicated their readiness to send some of theirs,
that would require approval from Germany, which holds the export licence.
The government of Chancellor Olaf Schulz has however adopted a more cautious approach than some other allies, to the supply of military hardware.
The UK MoD said it was committed to matching or exceeding last year’s funding for military aid to Ukraine in 2023.
It said in a statement: “We have provided over 200 armoured vehicles to Ukraine to date - including Stormer vehicles armed with Starstreak missiles.
“We have also donated tens of thousands of items including helmets and body armour, mobility and logistics vehicles, anti-tank weapons, air defence missiles and systems, winter and medical equipment.”
