Kiev not to receive Apaches from UK: London

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
15 Jan 2023 22:53

The British Ministry of Defense rebuffed on Sunday reports that claimed the UK plans to send up to four Apache attack helicopters to Kiev.

Apache attack helicopter, Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Sky News correspondent Deborah Haynes said on Sunday that the British Ministry of Defense has rejected local reports claiming that it plans to deliver Apache helicopters to Kiev.

The Daily Mirror tabloid reported on Saturday that the UK is planning to deliver up to four Apache attack helicopters and Challenger 2 tanks as part of its assistance package for Kiev.

The report cited anonymous sources who are reportedly familiar with the matter.

"The Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) says a @DailyMirror article claiming the UK will send Apache attack helicopters to Ukraine is incorrect," Haynes said on Twitter, adding that UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace would provide further details tomorrow.

The Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) says a @DailyMirror article claiming the UK will send Apache attack helicopters to Ukraine is incorrect.
Below is official info on new aid.
More details to be announced by @BWallaceMP on Monday.
(Retweeting to fix typo)https://t.co/zK6lmz8svd
— Deborah Haynes (@haynesdeborah) January 15, 2023

The article in question has already been taken off the site.

Since February 2022, European states have sent billions of dollars worth of weapons to Ukraine without almost any restraint, depleting their stockpiles.

NATO and European states have recently felt the heat, ramping up their military spending to match their demands.

Last month, the European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell considered that the war in Ukraine has depleted the EU's weapon stockpiles, showing that it lacks "critical" capabilities to protect against threats on its border.

On the other hand, Ukraine has fueled fears of a potential Russian offensive to begin this spring as a means of inciting its allies to commit further on heavier weapons and western-made tanks that were not included in previous aid packages.

On Russia's part, military officials are warned several times that the supply of arms to Ukrainian forces would be "legitimate targets" for Russian forces.