Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, has pleaded for nations to deliver more weaponry to his country without delay as his nation prepares to launch counteroffensives against Russia, stating that “hundreds of thanks are not hundreds of tanks.”
The consequences of the allies’ cooperation and support are evident on the battlefield in Ukraine, Zelensky said in remarks made during a virtual address at the start of a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on Friday, January 20. However, he questioned, “Do we have a lot of time?”
“No, horror does not permit conversation. The dread that ravages city after city grows haughty when [freedom fighters] run out of tools to combat it. I can thank you a thousand times, and given all that we have already accomplished, the conflict that Russia initiated does not permit delays, he remarked.
However, hundreds of thanks are not the same as hundreds of tanks. All of us are capable of using hundreds of words in conversation, but I am unable to substitute words for the anti-artillery guns or anti-aircraft missiles that are required to defend the population from Russian attacks.
Although Zelensky expressed his “true gratitude” for the armaments his allies had so far given him, he added that “time is still a Russian weapon.”
“Each unit contributes to protecting our people from danger. Time, though, continues to be a Russian weapon. We must accelerate. Time must unite us as a weapon, much like artillery, armored vehicles, and tanks, about which we are talking with you.
His remarks come at a time when the US and Germany are divided over whether to send tanks to Ukraine.
In recent days, the German government has made it clear that it will not allow any other country that possesses Leopard tanks in its arsenal to deliver them to Ukraine unless the US also agrees to send its extremely expensive M1 Abrams tanks there.
Given the logistical expenses of maintaining them, the Pentagon has been adamant for months that it has no intention of doing so.
