BRITAIN is consideirng giving Ukraine tanks for the first time since Putin invaded.
Top Brass have drawn up plans to send Challenger 2 main battle tanks to blast back Russia’s armed forces.
Deadly Challenger 2s have the longest range of any Nato tanks due to their rifled 120mm main gun.
The UK is also considering sending Warrior infantry fighting vehicles that were due to be axed to save cash.
Around 14 Challenger 2s – enough for a cavalry squadron – could be shipped within weeks, ahead of a “pivotal” spring offensive, sources said.
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The plan has not had “final approval,” MoD sources insisted.
If it gets the green light it would be the first time western tanks have gone head to head against Moscow.
The US, France and Germany all recently vowed to send fighting vehicles – including iconic American Bradleys that were used to invade Iraq.
But the only tanks donated to Kyiv have been Soviet era T-72s and upgraded but ancient T-55s, which first entered service in 1947.
UK defence chiefs hope their plan will convince Berlin to give Leopard II tanks – which Ukraine has repeatedly asked for.
They also want Chancellor Scholz to authorise Leopard II users Finland and Poland to hand over their tanks to Ukraine.
Ukraine’s President Zelensky thanked PM Rishi Sunak for his “concrete” pledges for more lethal aid when the leaders spoke last week.
Sunak vowed “to provide further equipment in the coming weeks and months to secure Ukraine’s victory on the battlefield,” No 10 said.
Britain was set to mothball 79 Challengers and 767 Warriors as part of cost-saving cuts announced in 2021.
The government has already donated some 120 Spartan, Husky, Mastiff and Wolfhound armoured vehicles, as well as Stormer light tanks with mounted anti-aircraft weapons and thousands of missiles.
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