Ukraine's defense minister (c) in front of British Challenger tanks and armored vehicles from the US and Germany in an unknown location in Ukraine in a handout picture released on March 27, 2023.Press Service of the Defence Ministry of Ukraine/Handout via REUTERS Ukraine's closest allies, which border Russia, spent months advocating for the delivery of tanks. The Baltic States helped break the taboo, taking the unusual step of calling out their allies publicly. The first Western tanks have now begun to arrive in Ukraine, as it prepares for a new offensive. When Ukraine first started asking for modern armored vehicles, just days after Russia invaded, its pleas barely made a ripple.Most of the West, though supportive of Ukraine, was hesitant to give it heavy weapons, worried that they could end up in Russia's hands, or that giving them could lead to an escalation in the war beyond Ukraine's borders.But some felt differently.Right from the start, three small nations that neighbor Russia — Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania — believed that Ukraine should get tanks.And without tanks of their own to give, they focused on convincing others to donate theirs.Now, with the first tanks arriving, they are enjoying a moment of victory.