Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the United Kingdom for training Ukrainian soldiers in the use of the Challenger 2 tanks it donated to Ukraine.
Zelensky said he expressed his gratitude to British Prime Minster Rishi Sunak during a phone call Saturday.
Downing Street said last week that the UK will send 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine as part of efforts to "intensify" support for the Ukrainian defense against Russia.
Earlier Saturday, the UK's defense ministry said the Ukrainians were
"quick to master" the tanks.
"We also talked about the further expansion of the capabilities of the Ukrainian army, the all-around support of Ukraine in the short and long term," Zelensky said, recapping the call
in a Telegram post.
According to a Downing Street readout of the call, the two leaders discussed the "latest situation on the ground in Ukraine, " with Sunak outlining his commitment to "ensuring the UK’s defensive military equipment reached the front line as quickly as possible."
“Both leaders agreed that it was vital that international partners accelerated their assistance to Ukraine to help seize the opportunity to push Russian forces back, as well as looking at how they could support the long-term capability of Ukraine’s armed forces, " Downing Street said.
Sunak also recounted his experiences meeting Ukrainian troops training in the UK last week, telling Zelensky that he was "inspired by their courage and the stories of their loved ones back home."
As the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine grows closer, the two leaders "agreed on the importance of UN partners once again demonstrating their solidarity with Ukraine, " Downing Street added in the readout.
Top Ukrainian officials, including the country's defense minister, have floated the possibility of Russia attempting to mark the anniversary on Feb. 24 with
a renewed offensive.
Speaking through a French interpreter on French television BFM Wednesday, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov outlined Ukraine's belief that Russia "will attempt something around February."