The leaders of the United States and Germany said on Wednesday that they would send tank contingents to Ukraine. The countries alter their longtime reluctance to provide Kyiv with offensive armored vehicles and unleash potent new weaponry in Ukraine's drive to recover territory taken by Russia.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's announcement that he will send Leopard 2 tanks was accompanied by US President Joe Biden's announcement that he would provide 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. The decision reversed the administration's longstanding resistance to Kyiv's requests for highly sophisticated but maintenance-intensive vehicles.
US Will Send 31 Abram Tanks to Ukraine
The simultaneous declarations marked a watershed moment following weeks of heavy pressure from some of Berlin's NATO partners. The decisions resulted from extensive negotiations between Germany, the United States, and other European allies. They come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky prepares for a fresh Russian attack in the spring.
Speaking from the White House, Biden stated that the tanks would "increase Ukraine's ability to defend its territory and fulfill its strategic objectives in the short and long term."
While praising the tanks' capacity to confront Russia's shifting tactics and strategy on the battlefield, Biden warned that Moscow should not perceive them as an "offensive threat."
Previously, Scholz informed members of the German parliament that the decision to supply Leopard 2 tanks followed negotiations with western allies. The disagreement over whether the Germans would send Leopards to help Ukraine could reveal the first fissures in the Western reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
However, Scholz and Biden's declaration demonstrates that the United States and its allies continue to assist President Volodymyr Zelensky and his nation's struggle against the Russians. However, US officials independently admitted that the new vehicles would only arrive in a few months. Transferring European tanks will become more efficient.
On Tuesday, administration officials revealed to ABC News that they were contemplating deploying Abrams tanks to Ukraine as part of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. This implies that the United States will contract the tanks with their manufacturer, delaying their deployment for a considerable time - maybe more than a year.
President Biden acknowledged the longer schedule, which government officials had previously said might take "months as opposed to weeks." Germany stated early Wednesday that it would provide Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks and approve requests from dozens of other nations to do the same. The United Kingdom has also pledged twelve Challenger 2 battle tanks, while Poland has asked Germany for permission to transfer its stockpile of Leopards.
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Biden Justifies Support For Ukraine
The president said he spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday morning regarding the conflict. Biden justified the action as a concerted decision when asked about the timing of this decision and whether Germany "made you change your mind" about deploying tanks, which the Pentagon was initially opposed to.
However, the pledge of tanks, which a Ukrainian source told ABC News may amount to approximately 100 Leopard 2s, falls well short of Zelensky's stated requirement of 300 combat tanks. US officials said on Wednesday that the fresh supply of tanks demonstrates the solidarity among all allies working to help Ukraine, downplaying the difference between the US and Germany in using the Abrams vehicles.
Zelensky responded to the tank promises in a new interview with SkyNews. "I want to thank Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States for making this decision," he stated. On December 21, 2022, Zelensky addressed the United States Congress at the US Capitol in Washington, DC.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated at his daily briefing on Wednesday that "to deliver US-made Abrams tanks to Ukraine won't work because its proponents overestimate the capabilities of the Ukrainian military."
On Wednesday, Biden reaffirmed the United States resolve to resist Russian aggression on Ukrainian land. Ukraine desires American and German tanks as soon as possible, as they are more sophisticated than Russia. Last week, the Biden administration unveiled another massive military aid package for Ukraine, including over 150 more armored vehicles, but not the tanks that Ukraine had sought.
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