The UK Prime Minister has been trying to convince NATO allies to provide more help to Ukraine after President Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded at a NATO-EU-G7 summit in Brussels for "1 percent of all your planes, 1 percent of all your tanks". Mr Johnson conceded it would be a challenge to give Mr Zelensky the tanks he has demanded to fight against the Russia. The Prime Minister said it would "logistically" be "very difficult" during the NATO summit, Express reports.
But Mr Johnson said allies would strive to give Mr Zelensky weapons "in the quantity and of the quality" he needs to defend his nation from the Russia.
He pledged more missiles and a new deployment of UK troops to Bulgaria, while doubling personnel in Poland and Estonia to boost NATO on the eastern flanks.
French President Emmanuel Macron categorically rejected the idea of providing Ukraine with more tanks, as hinted at by Mr Johnson, calling it a "red line".
The French leader said NATO should not become "co-belligerent" by supplying Ukraine with more military supplies.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called Johnson "the most active anti-Russian leader" and predicted that his foreign policy would lead to a deadlock.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the two countries agreed to increase arms supplies to Ukraine at the summit, but did not specify whether they would include tanks. In addition to tanks, Zelensky asked NATO for a number of anti-submarine weapons, missile and air defense systems.
Greece, Bulgaria and Slovakia have refused to provide their S-300s to Ukraine, explaining that in this case they will be under attack.
At the same time, NATO has plans to strengthen and restrain its defense force, which will be discussed in detail in June. According to Stoltenberg, they will deploy larger forces in the eastern part of the alliance. They will include weapons and planes, air defense forces, combat groups at sea, submarines and warships, The Times writes.
