It is not known what the attack on the Russian-occupied territories will look like. “Of course it remains a secret. But the expectation is that they will try to break through to the front line and thereby panic the Russians or use the situation to achieve a certain goal. However, it could take a long time for the attack to begin, Zandee expects. “Those tanks haven’t arrived yet and neither have the numbers they need.”
Zandee also points out that the tanks supplied by the Netherlands and Denmark are not of the best quality. “They’re not the most modern types. The A7 is the most modern, these are the A4 tanks.’
Fighter aircraft
More arms shipments to Ukraine are likely to follow in the near future to step up the fight against Russia. A summit of defense ministers from more than fifty countries will be held later this week at the Ramstein military base in Germany. There will also be talks of increasing military support. “There are requests from Ukraine to send more tanks. The delivery of fighter jets will also be a topic that Ukraine will continue to insist on.”
Follow the latest news about the war in Ukraine in our live blog
Ukraine has already achieved success. Poland and Slovakia have already delivered MIG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine. “These are old Soviet planes that they can fly immediately, because the Ukrainians already know about it. But the question remains whether Western countries are willing to supply the F16s, (…) Ukraine will still insist on this.”