Ukraine may receive M1 Abrams tanks in a year or more – Pentagon

Christine Wormuth, US Army Secretary, has said that the US side may need more than a year to deliver the promised M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, and relevant plans are still being developed.

Source: Wormuth, during an event organised by the Defence Writers Group, an association of journalists specialising in military subjects, quoted by CNN, as European Pravda reports 

Quote from Wormuth: "We’re looking at what’s the fastest way we can get the tanks to the Ukrainians. It’s not going to be a matter of weeks, I will say that. None of the options that we’re exploring are weeks or two months. There are longer timelines involved. But I think there are options that are less than two years, less than a year and a half. But again we have to look at the pros and cons of each of them," she said.

Details: Wormut clarified that among the options being presented to US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin are building tanks "from scratch", although usually, the US Army upgrades existing equipment for export. Another option is to take Abrams from countries that have already purchased them, but this "might disrupt relations with important allies".

Background: After the United States announced in January that it would grant Ukraine more than 30 M1 Abrams tanks, officials warned that the time frame for obtaining them could be lengthy. And this is not only about the tanks themselves but also about maintenance equipment, such as repair and evacuation vehicles, ammunition and training of the Ukrainian military personnel.

For example, back in late January, John Kirby, the White House National Security spokesman, stated that the delivery of the recently announced tranche of Abrams tanks to Ukraine will take "many months" before they can appear on the battlefield.

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