Ukraine to receive first 10 Abrams tanks in September
The 10 US-made Abrams tanks are expected to arrive in Ukraine in mid-September.
Source: Politico with reference to sources
Details: Politico noted that Ukraine will receive the first ten Abrams tanks out of the 31 promised in mid-September.
Western officials hope that the arrival of the tanks will give Kyiv's forces the advantage they need to break through Russia's fierce defences in an exhausting counter-offensive.
As Martin O'Donnell, a Pentagon spokesperson said, ten 70-tonne tanks are currently in Germany undergoing final remodelling. After that, they will be sent to Ukraine.
"The US is committed to expedite delivery of the 31 tanks to Ukraine by the fall," Martin O'Donnell added. However, he declined to give a specific timeline.
US officials hope that the Abrams tanks will help give Ukraine an advantage in the fight to regain territory.
Politico writes that a group of Ukrainian soldiers has completed a training program on US M1 Abrams tanks.
About 200 Ukrainians trained on the tanks at US Army training ranges in Germany, O'Donnell said.
Background:
- In January, US President Joe Biden confirmed his intention to transfer 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine.
- The US is removing some sensitive technologies from the Abrams tanks it plans to send to Ukraine, as it fears they could fall into the hands of the Russian army on the battlefield.
- Ukraine will receive an older modification, i.e. M1A1 tanks, not the A2s.
- In May, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said that Ukraine would receive the Abrams tanks in early autumn, and that training programs for the Ukrainian military to operate them should be completed by then.
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