The Kremlin gave a defiant response to Ukraine getting its first Western tanks, saying they 'will burn like the rest'

A Ukrainian tank near Slovyansk await orders to repel Russian advances in the Donbas region.

Ximena Borrazas/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

• Over the weekend, the UK promised to send Ukraine multiple Challenger 2 tanks.
• In response, the Kremlin said the tanks "will burn like the rest" in Ukraine, Reuters reported.
• Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said the delivery will not change the situation on the ground.

The UK government confirmed over the weekend that it would be sending heavy tanks to Kyiv, making it the first Western power to supply Ukraine with main battle tanks.

But the Kremlin has responded harshly, saying the tanks will "burn" on the battlefield, Reuters reported.

When asked about the British tanks on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said they will not change the situation on the ground, and will only bring "more troubles" to Ukraine, Reuters reported. 

"They are using [Ukraine] as a tool to achieve their anti-Russian goals," Peskov said, according to Reuters. "These tanks are burning and will burn just like the rest."

His comments come after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed on Saturday that the UK would send 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine alongside a tranche of artillery systems.

Ukraine's top general listed new tanks as part of a wishlist to push Russia back to its positions in February 2022, before the main invasion — but said he would need 300 of them, alongside thousands of other combat vehicles.

Other countries including France and Poland have also pledged to send tanks to Ukraine while Finland has said it is considering following suit.

The moves have piled pressure on Germany, which has yet to commit to sending its own tanks.

Germany also needs to approve the export of the German Leopard 2 battle tanks that Poland has promised to send to Ukraine.  

A German government spokeswoman said Friday that it had not yet received an official request from Poland, according to CNN.

In a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West of supporting the "intensification of hostilities" in Ukraine by "ramping up the supplies of weapons and military equipment," The Telegraph reported.

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