After Germany approved the shipment of 14 German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, more support is coming to the Kyiv forces, vehicles that, according to many, could literally change the fate of the war. The United States will send 31 Abrams M1 tanks to Ukraine in a deal worth 400 million. The two announcements mark a turning point after weeks of NATO pressure on Germany.
Abrams tanks will be built from the ground up by General Dynamics Corp and funded by the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative program. This means that the tanks of the Kyiv forces will not be taken from US stockpiles and will “take months” to arrive at their destination. Then there is the problem of training in the use of very powerful tanks. John Kirby, spokesman for the US National Security Council, stated that at the moment it has not been decided when and where the training of Ukrainian soldiers on the use of Abrams tanks will take place, but that it will not happen in Ukraine.
“Putin was wrong”
By sending Abrams, the United States is responding to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s request for more American commitment to troops in Kiev. The sending of new powerful tanks could lead to an escalation of the conflict in Ukraine.
According to US President Joe Biden, the US sending Abrams tanks to Kiev “does not pose a threat to Russia, it is not an attack against Russia”. However, Biden warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that the alliance did not “collapse”, but that the United States and its allies were united. “Putin expected Europe and the United States to lose their resolve,” Biden commented in the Roosevelt Room at the White House. “He expected our support for Ukraine to fade over time. He was wrong. He was wrong from the beginning and still is.”
More help to Kiev
The US president then listed the aid that other countries sent or will send to Ukraine one by one, including Italy, which “sends artillery”. And it’s the result of an agreement reached a few minutes ago in Biden’s phone call with Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French president Emmanuel Macron and British prime minister Rishi Sunak. To strengthen Euro-Atlantic coordination in helping Ukraine repel Russian aggression.
Noting the situation on the ground nearly a year after the Russian invasion, the leaders reiterated the importance of maintaining strong Allied contingent while continuing to provide all-round assistance to Kiev.
Around the same time, other European powers offered Ukraine more military support. The UK donated two Challenger tanks, France armored fighting vehicles and air defense systems, Netherlands Patriot missiles, Polish armored vehicles, Swedish infantry units, Danish and Estonian artillery howitzers, Latvian missiles, Lithuanian anti-aircraft guns.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
