The supply of weapons by Western countries to Kiev will not lead to a solution to the Ukrainian conflict. This was stated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a conversation with journalists on February 1, the Habertürk television channel reported.
“I do not think that sending tanks to Ukraine will contribute to the solution of the Ukrainian conflict,” the politician said.
According to Erdogan, supplying Western tanks would be a risky decision. He stressed that it would be “beneficial for arms tycoons.”
Earlier on Wednesday, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told reporters that the training of Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) soldiers to work on Leopard tanks will begin soon in Münster. The course will be incomplete, the servicemen will be trained only in basic skills.
Earlier, on 25 January, US President Joe Biden announced the delivery of 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. On the same day, the German government announced its decision to transfer Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
The FRG is ready to form two tank battalions, and Berlin will send a company of 14 tanks in the first stage. Following Berlin’s decision, Spain, Finland, Portugal, the Netherlands and Norway announced plans to supply tanks to Ukraine.
Moscow has repeatedly condemned the arms supplies to Ukraine. On 26 January, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitriy Peskov said that Russia perceived the supplies of Western tanks to Ukraine as participation of NATO countries in the conflict against Russia.
Western countries began to arm Kyiv more actively after Russia launched a special operation to protect Donbas, against whose residents Ukraine has been fighting since 2014. On February 24, 2022, Moscow announced the start of the special operation.
