The British Foreign Secretary has justified the delivery of Challenger tanks to Ukraine by saying they should bring the war to a quick end and there is a moral imperative to end the war soon because of the casualties and costs, APA reports citing the Guardian.
“This war has been going on for a long time. And now it’s time to bring it to a conclusion,” James Cleverly told a Washington think tank.
His comments seemed designed both to encourage the US to increase its own arms shipments and to lash out at those Republicans who were calling for a reduction in US support for the war.
Before meeting US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Cleverly said it was clear that Putin believes Russian stoicism can outlast the West and that he wants to delay a conflict of attrition, so it behooves the West to adopt the opposite strategy.
He said: “We should try to bring it to a conclusion quickly, the result must be the Ukrainian victory. And that therefore dictates that we must step up our support at this time while Russia is lagging behind.”
He later added that this was a moral imperative, as “it will cost so many more lives and so much more money if we allow this to be a long, protracted war of attrition.
“What Putin should understand is that we will have the strategic endurance to stay with them until the job is done and the best thing he can do to save the lives of his own troops is to acknowledge that. “
Cleverly visits the US and Canada after the UK became the first country to accede to Ukraine’s request for western heavy tanks.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said his government would provide 14 Challenger 2 tanks.
European countries have already supplied Kyiv with modernized versions of Soviet tanks, and the US and France have committed to lighter versions, while Washington sent Bradley armored vehicles. He wisely joined British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace in urging Germany to authorize the delivery of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
Cleverly said Britain decided to send tanks to the Ukrainians because “we recognize they need the ability to push back hard in the east and south,” areas Russia has been attempting to conquer since its invasion nearly a year ago has started before.
He declined to say if he wanted the US to supply more weapons such as ACTMS or air defense, but added: “Our support has evolved as the combat has evolved and the needs of the Ukrainians have evolved.”
He said it’s really critical for US citizens to realize that the war in Ukraine is about “protecting them. As the post-war framework collapses, the world will become a much more dangerous, chaotic and expensive place.”
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