President Joe Biden announced the U.S. would send 31 M1 tanks to Ukraine, following similar moves by European nations.
Biden told Russia not to view the tanks “as an offensive threat”:
In remarks at the White House on Wednesday, President Biden said the tanks would “enhance the Ukrainians’ capacity to defend its territory and achieve its strategic objectives.” He said the delivery of the tanks shouldn’t be seen by Russia as an offensive threat, contending that they are intended to help Ukraine defend itself.“The Abrams tanks are the most capable tanks in the world, they’re also extremely complex to operate and maintain,” he said, adding later, “Delivering these tanks to the field is going to take time—time that we’ll use to make sure the Ukrainians are fully prepared to integrate the Abrams tanks into their defenses.”
Yeah, that won’t work because Russia already views any help for Ukraine as a threat:
“If the United States decides to supply tanks, it will be impossible to justify such step using arguments about ‘defensive weapons’,” Russia’s Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said on Telegram Wednesday.“This would be another blatant provocation against the Russian Federation. No one should have illusions about who is the real aggressor in the current conflict,” he claimed.
On Tuesday, Germany told Poland it won’t block them from sending German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine.
I don’t think anyone needs reminders why Poland is nervous about any kind of Russian aggression near its border.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced his decision to also give Ukraine Leopard 2 tanks. From CNBC:
“This decision follows our well-known line of supporting Ukraine to the best of our ability. We are acting in a closely coordinated manner internationally,” said the Chancellor in Berlin.The goal is to quickly assemble two tank battalions with Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine. As a first step, Germany will provide a company with 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks from Bundeswehr stocks. Other European partners will also hand over Leopard-2 tanks. The training of the Ukrainian units is to begin quickly in Germany. In addition to training, the package will also include logistics, ammunition and system maintenance.Germany will issue the appropriate transfer permits to partner countries that want to quickly deliver Leopard 2 tanks from their stocks to Ukraine.
Other European nations, especially those in NATO, could follow Germany and send their Leopard 2 tanks. Britain promised Ukraine “14 of its own Challengers.”
Biden said Scholz’s decision didn’t force him to change his view on the tanks: “I wanted to make sure we were all together.”
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