Kiev, 31 January 2023 (dpa/MIA) – Ukraine is expecting deliveries of as many as 140 modern Western battle tanks from 12 partners, including the US and Germany, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a video message on Tuesday.

He also continued to push for fighter aircraft deliveries, even though the US and Germany have already said they would not export military aircraft to the country.

Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov is in Paris today to speak with the French about aircraft exports, media reports said.

The tanks are needed to help fight Russia, which invaded the eastern European nation nearly a year ago, Ukrainian officials have repeatedly said.

Sophisticated vehicles such as the German-made Leopard 2, the British Challenger 2 and the M1 Abrams from the US are expected to be rolling on Ukraine’s battlefields in the next few months.

Kuleba was unable to name all coalition partners at the moment, as some still had to go through formal procedures. Kiev is also very much hoping for French Leclerc tanks and larger deliveries from already participating states, he said.