The United States announced Wednesday that will send 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine and immediately start training Ukrainian soldiers in a third country in its use and maintenance.
The tanks will take “months” to reach Ukraine and will be accompanied by armored recovery vehicles called M88, which will serve to support them, a senior US official said in statements to the press.
According to that source, the Joe Biden government decided to send exactly 31 Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine because that number is equivalent to one tank battalion in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Although the tanks will still take time to arrive, the United States will immediately begin training Ukrainian military personnel so that they can learn to operate these “complex” vehicles and maintain them over time.
The training will take place in a third country, not inside Ukraine, but the US government has not yet made public where it will take place.
For its part, the US Department of Defense is looking for mechanisms to send the equipment and fuel needed by the Abrams to Ukraine, another senior official told reporters.
The announcement comes shortly after President Joe Biden discussed aid for Ukraine with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak; French President Emmanuel Macron; the chancellor, German, Olaf Scholz; and the head of the Italian government, Giorgia Meloni.
It is also added to the authorization given by Germany for the shipment of Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine, who insistently claimed them to better defend themselves against the Russian invasion.
Germany will deliver to Ukraine 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks from its army reserves, announced government spokesman Seffen Hebestreit. At the same time, Berlin will allow European countries that wish to supply kyiv with the armored vehicles they have, as Poland, which is very active in this matter, has been demanding.
(It may interest you: The Kremlin on sending tanks to kyiv: “It is a plan destined to fail”)
As President Joe Biden said on Wednesday, the tanks will allow Ukraine to “defend its territory and achieve strategic objectives.”
“Abrams tanks are the most competent in the world, they are also the most complex to operate and maintain, so we will also send the necessary parts and equipment to maintain and sustain these tanks. We will also train Ukrainian personnel to be ready as soon as possible. as soon as possible,” he said at a press conference.
What does tank shipping involve?
The deal to send German and American heavy tanks to Ukraine, much to Moscow’s chagrin, means that Western countries took a symbolic step in support of Ukraine, You will benefit from weaponry that can help you break through the Russian lines.
Insistent pressure from Ukraine to receive German Leopard main battle tanks paid off on Wednesday when Germany relented and promised to send 14 tanks to Ukraine, also giving permission for European countries that have stocks to transfer them to the Ukrainian army.
“From the delivery of 5,000 heavy (combat, NDLR) helmets to the shipment of the Leopard to Ukraine: in less than a year Germany undid seven decades of pacifist policy. It may have been reluctant, but it is a major turning point Bruno Lete of the Washington-based think tank German Marshall Fund commented on Twitter.
(You can read: Ukraine: Zelensky dismisses top officials on corruption charges)
In less than a year Germany dismantled seven decades of pacifist policy
The United Kingdom has already offered a dozen Challenger 2 tanks, the United States has promised 31 Abrams tanks and France is studying the possibility of delivering heavy battle tanks.
This united front to support Ukraine is a new grievance for the Russians, who since the beginning of the conflict have been betting on a depletion of support from Westerners.
With this help from another range delivered to Ukraine, Westerners again risk being accused of being “co-belligerent” by Russia. But, in fact, since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, several taboos have already been broken.
“Howitzers and multiple rocket launchers delivered in 2022 are equally or more serious equipment than main battle tanks, since the artillery is more powerful,” said military analyst Mykola Bielieskov.
The United States overcame his reluctance and ended up accepting delivery to Ukraine of its Patriot medium-range surface-to-air missile system, which is considered one of the best air defense devices in Western militaries.
(Keep reading: Germany’s fears blocking heavy tank shipments to Ukraine)
How will Moscow respond?
The Russian ambassador to Germany, Sergei Nechaev, criticized the decision on Wednesday as “extremely dangerous” and stated that it “will bring the conflict to a new level of confrontation.”
A source from the European bloc pointed out that tanks are not “an escalation tool, given their likely use by the Ukrainians” only in their territory, not beyond.
In response, Moscow may be tempted to field its T-14 tank for the first time, a new generation of weaponry that has not seen combat use. But there are only about twenty cars made, said Andras Racz, of the German Council for International Relations.
(You can read: Russia warns of escalation of the conflict if they send long-range weapons to Ukraine)
Thus, “in the absence of a symmetrical military response, an intensification of the information offensive by Russia can be expected, which could be prompted to launch a second wave of mobilizations.”
But the expert pointed out that “The Russians know well that a dozen Western tanks are not going to change the course of the conflict. I don’t expect an immediate escalation from Moscow.”
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
*With information from AFP and EFE
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