Kiev - (AFP) - Ukraine on Thursday reiterated its demand for Western allies to supply it with tanks and to "stop trembling in front of" Russian President Vladimir Putin , in light of the hesitation of some leaders who fear an escalation with Moscow.

On the other hand, the Kremlin warned Thursday that the delivery of long-range weapons to Ukraine by Western countries capable of targeting the depth of Russian territory would lead to a dangerous escalation in the armed conflict between Moscow and Kiev.

In the same context, the Ukrainian Ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs, Olesky Reznikov and Dmytro Kuleba, issued in a joint statement, "an appeal to all partner countries that have previously provided military assistance or are studying this possibility, in which we call on them to greatly enhance their contribution."

In the statement, the two ministers mentioned 12 countries, including Turkey and Germany, that own Leopard tanks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized Germany's reluctance to supply Ukraine with heavy tanks of its own making.

"There are times when we should not hesitate or compare. As if someone says, 'I will give tanks if someone else does that'," Zelensky said via video link during a breakfast on the sidelines of the Davos Economic Forum in Switzerland.

During the visit of European Council President Charles Michel to Kiev on Thursday, Zelensky said, "The courage of our army and the impulsiveness of the Ukrainian people (...) in the face of thousands of tanks belonging to Russia are not enough."

Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter, "There are no taboos. From Washington to London, from Paris to Warsaw, they say one thing: Ukraine needs tanks. It is the key to ending the war. It's time to stop trembling in front of Putin and pass the last stage."

For his part, Michel stressed "the need to send tanks to Kiev."

The German Leopard tanks are among the modern heavy tanks of Western design that Kiev requires from its allies, and experts say that it will be decisive in the upcoming battles in eastern Ukraine.

The Ukrainian president was referring to media reports that Berlin would not give Ukraine heavy tanks unless the United States sent Abrams tanks.
However, Washington is not ready to provide Ukraine with these powerful combat tanks, as confirmed on Wednesday by a senior Pentagon official, justifying this refusal with issues related to maintenance and training, without ruling out a change in the US position in this regard in the future.

US Representative Gregory Mix indicated that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that the United States and Germany will send their tanks together to Ukraine. "It should be the United States and Germany (together), there is no doubt about that," he told AFP on Thursday.

On Friday, defense ministers and senior military officials of Western countries that provide military aid to Ukraine, as well as US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, will meet in Ramstein, Germany. This will be the third meeting of its kind.

On the other hand, Zelensky reiterated Thursday his intention to liberate all the territories that Russia controlled, including Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.

On Thursday, the British defense minister announced in Estonia that the UK would send Ukraine an additional 600 Brimstone missiles to help it counter the Russian invasion.

Sweden has decided to supply Ukraine with long-range, mobile and modern Archer guns that Kiev has been demanding for several months, Prime Minister Ulf Christerson announced.

Sweden, which since the start of the invasion of Ukraine has abandoned its doctrine of not delivering weapons to a country at war, will also send fifty CV-90 infantry fighting tanks, as well as portable anti-tank missiles, "NLo", according to what the government confirmed.

Denmark decided to give Ukraine 19 long-range French-made Caesar cannons, knowing that some of them had not yet been received by Copenhagen, according to what the government announced Thursday.

For its part, Russian forces, with the support of the armed Wagner Group, are redoubling their efforts to seize the city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, where bloody battles have been taking place for several months.

Russian forces made little progress on the ground, capturing much of the nearby town of Solidar.
In another context, Zelensky's statements in Davos come the day after a helicopter crash near Kiev killed Ukrainian Interior Minister Denis Monastyrsky and at least 13 other people.
In response to a question about whether the helicopter crash was an accident, Zelensky replied, "The investigation is underway. Several hypotheses are being studied, and I am not authorized to talk about any of them until the investigations are completed."