Ukraine is taking deliveries of battle tanks from its Western partners, as the country prepares to launch a counteroffensive against Russian forces.

Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on social media on Monday(March 27) that the country's armed forces have received Challenger 2 tanks from Britain and other armored vehicles from the US and Germany.

Reznikov thanked them for the deliveries, writing, "Even a year ago, no one could have thought that the support of partners would be so powerful." He added, "Ukraine changed the world."

Norway's military said last week that eight of its German-made Leopard 2 tanks have been deployed in Ukraine. And Germany said on Monday that it has handed over 18 Leopard 2 tanks.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated his concern over the safety of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.

Zelenskyy said in a video released on Monday that he met the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia.

The Ukrainian president called for the withdrawal of Russian troops from the nuclear plant. He said that the longer the Russian occupation continues, the greater the threat to the security of Ukraine, Europe and the world.(NHK)