Czechia, Poland, Others Pledge to Pursue ‘Unprecedented’ Military Support for Ukraine

A group of nine nations including the Czech Republic, Britain, Poland and the Netherlands on Thursday pledged to pursue providing an “unprecedented set of donations” including main battle tanks to help Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.

“We commit to collectively pursuing delivery of an unprecedented set of donations including main battle tanks, heavy artillery, air defence, ammunition, and infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine’s defence,” a joint statement said.

The statement, published on the british government website, was made by the defence ministers of Britain, Estonia, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania, and representatives from Denmark, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Slovakia following a meeting in Estonia.

The statement, called the Tallinn Pledge, says the 11 nations urge other allies and partners to “follow suit and contribute their own planned packages of support as soon as possible.”

US to donate more vehicles and ammunition 

The US Department of Defense (DoD) has confirmed an additional $2.5bn tranche of military platforms and weapons to fulfill Ukraine’s crucial defence requirements.

The new package, which has been authorised from the 30^th drawdown of equipment from the US’ defence inventories, includes eight Avenger systems, 590 TOW anti-tank missiles, 90 Stryker vehicles, 20 mine rollers, and 53 mine resistant ambush protected platforms.

It further includes 59 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), in addition to the 50 Bradleys approved earlier this month.

The US will also provide High-speed Anti-radiation missiles, 350 Humvees, 20,000 155mm artillery rounds, and more munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems.

The package also includes other small arms ammunition, tactical vehicles, spare parts, and field equipment.