A senior British military official has claimed that the country has run out of weapons and equipment to send to Ukraine.
In a recent interview with The Telegraph, the unnamed officer said Kyiv needs more air defense assets and artillery munitions now that the conflict nears its second year.
Unfortunately, Britain has “run dry on all that,” according to the military source. “We’ve given away just about as much as we can afford.”
He added that the UK should not be obligated to send billions in military aid packages to Ukraine, opposing former defense minister Ben Wallace’s recommendation of providing an additional 2.3 billion pounds ($2.8 billion) to Kyiv’s forces.
“Giving billions more doesn’t mean giving billions of British kits,” he told the outlet.
Despite his revelation, the official said the UK will continue to source equipment to provide to its European ally to counter Russia’s aggression.
But he urged other countries to step up and provide more support.
Second Top Donor
The UK is the second top donor of military aid to the war-torn nation, giving a total of 2.3 billion pounds ($2.8 billion) last year.
It comes behind the US, which has already donated more than $75 billion in assistance to Ukraine.
The British military has transferred armored vehicles, anti-tank weapons, missile systems, and other military hardware to support Kyiv’s ongoing counteroffensive.
In addition, over 23,000 Ukrainian soldiers have received combat training at army bases across the UK since February 2022.
While the country has committed another 14 Challenger 2 tanks for Ukraine, the official said it is unlikely that the country would be able to donate more in the coming months.
Affecting Operational Capability
Earlier this year, a British lawmaker criticized the country’s decision to send Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Kyiv, saying it reduced the British military’s operational capability by nearly a third.
The British Army reportedly has 227 Challengers in its inventory, but only 157 of them are ready to undertake operations within 30 days.
According to the lawmaker, supplying Kyiv with a significant number of tanks would represent a loss of 25 to 30 percent.
However, UK Chief of Defence Staff for Financial and Military Capability, Lt. Gen. Robert McGowan said the rate “is not that high.”