Ukraine needs to supply tanks from partner countries, in particular German-made Leopard 2 tanks, according to a joint statement by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov on the need to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities, published by the press services of foreign policy and defense departments on Thursday morning.

"We welcome the bold and very timely decision of the United Kingdom to transfer the first squadron of Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine. However, it is not sufficient to achieve operational goals. Therefore, we are addressing our appeal to the states that have Leopard 2 tanks in service, including Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey. We guarantee that we will use these weapons responsibly and exclusively for the purposes of protecting the territorial integrity of Ukraine within internationally recognized borders," according to the statement.

The ministers also appealed to all the above and other states that have the appropriate capabilities to join the initiative to create an international tank coalition in support of Ukraine and make their practical contributions to this initiative.

"Russia's criminal war of aggression against Ukraine, which has been waged for almost a year, remains the most serious threat to the international security and the single unprecedented challenge to the international community since World War II. This war poses a particularly acute danger for the Euro-Atlantic community considering Russia's overt goals to destroy the European security order and undermine viability of democracy as a form of social life," the ministers said.

The document notes that a lot has already been done to strengthen the defense potential of Ukraine, but the Russian Federation retains a significant advantage in the number of troops, weapons and military equipment. " That is why we appeal to all partner states that have already provided military assistance or are planning to provide it, with a call to considerably reinforce their practical contribution to strengthening Ukraine's ability to defend itself and bring their assistance to a qualitatively new level. Today, the improvement of the provision of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with modern armoured vehicles and increasing their fire and manoeuvrability capabilities with the help of Western tanks is one of the most pressing and urgent needs," the officials said in the statement.