The United States seems determined to approve the shipment of advanced war tanks to Ukraine for its almost year-long war against the invasion of Russia and according to the US media, the Biden administration could announce its decision as soon as Wednesday.
The decision to send M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, as part of a diplomatic deal with Germany over the provision of some of its tanks, was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
US officials quoted in the reports say the US is considering sending more than 30 of the sophisticated tanks to Ukrainian battlefields.
An official familiar with the deliberations told the voice of america that the White House is working to finalize a plan for Ukraine to receive the tanks, although it would take some time for kyiv to receive them and be able to use them on the ground.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the tanks would likely be supplied through the Pentagon’s Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). This fund allows the Department of Defense to purchase weapons and systems directly from manufacturers and other sources, rather than using existing ones in the country.
In this case, the official said that the US could look to buy the M1 Abrams in other countries and renew them before sending them to Ukraine.
News of the deliberations was not received in Russia. Archyde.com reported that Anatoly Antonov, Russia’s envoy to the US, said in a message on the embassy’s Telegram app that a possible shipment of the tanks would be “another blatant provocation against Russia.”
US officials have so far dismissed the idea of sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine, arguing that although they are highly advanced they are also difficult to maintain and require more fuel than kyiv can get.
“We shouldn’t supply Ukraine with systems that they can’t repair or maintain, and that they can’t sustain in the long term, because that doesn’t help them,” Defense Under Secretary Colin Kahl told reporters last week.
The change of heart came amid reports in the German press that Germany had decided to send some of its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and paved the way for other countries to send their German Leopard tanks to kyiv.
Earlier, after a meeting in Berlin, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg applauded the decision to allow the allies, led by Poland, to send German tanks to Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials claim that Western tanks such as Leopards and Abrams will allow their forces to maneuver more effectively, with greater firepower and protection, against invading Russian forces.
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