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It comes after Berlin announced it would be sending its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine’s frontline
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The US will send 31 M1 Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine after months of persistent calls from Kyiv for modern Western vehicles to help bolster its defences against Russia.
The tanks will be accompanied by eight M88 recovery vehicles — heavily armoured tow trucks used to rescue tanks that have been disabled or damaged in battle.
In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said any Abrams shipments would be a waste of money as they “burn” like other tanks.
“I am certain that many experts understand the absurdity of this idea. The plan is disastrous in terms of technology,” he said.
“But above all, it overestimates the potential it will add to the Ukrainian army. These tanks burn just like all the others,” Peskov told reporters.
It comes after Berlin announced it would be sending its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine’s frontline and allowed other countries with the German-made vehicles to do the same.
The United States will provide 31 new M1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks to the Armed Forces of Ukraine as part of America’s efforts to help bolster Ukraine’s defence against the nearly year-old war being waged by Russia, multiple Biden administration officials have said.
The 31 tanks will be accompanied by eight M88 recovery vehicles — heavily armoured tow trucks used to rescue tanks that have been disabled or damaged in battle — and will be enough to equip an entire Ukrainian tank battalion with the American-made beasts, which first gained worldwide recognition for their firepower and armour capability during engagements with Iraqi forces during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
President Joe Biden is expected to speak about the provisioning of tanks and other assistance to Ukraine from the White House at 12.00 pm on Wednesday.
Andrew Feinberg reports:
Senior administration officials say the US will procure 31 new Abrams tanks for use by the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Vladimir Putin had expected Western support for Ukraine to “crumble with time”, but he was “wrong”, US president Joe Biden has said.
In an address given following the announcement the US would be sending 31 M1 Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine, Mr Biden said the US was “standing shoulder to shoulder” with its allies and partners.
He promised the West would continue “to do all we can to support Ukraine.”
Mr Biden went on: “Putin expected Europe and the United States to weaken our resolve. He expected our support for Ukraine to crumble with time.
“He was wrong. He was wrong from the beginning and he continues to be wrong.
“We are united. America is united,” he said, insisting that almost one year into the conflict the US remained “united and determined as ever in our conviction and our cause.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said there was a window of opportunity for international partners to speed up efforts to support Ukraine in its conflict against Russia.
“The prime minister said it was now clear Russia was on the back foot, and there was a window for international partners to accelerate efforts to secure lasting peace for Ukraine,” No 10 said in a statement after he spoke to the leaders of the United States, Germany, France and Italy.
“All the leaders welcomed the strong coordination of military supplies and reflected on the collective international action across the spectrum in support of Ukraine.”
Norway will send German-made tanks to Ukraine as part of a group of Western nations supplying the arms, Norwegian Defence Minister Bjoern Arild Gram told public broadcaster NRK on Wednesday.
He declined to say how many tanks Norway would deliver.
President Joe Biden lauded Europe for showing it is “fully united” in helping Ukraine defend its land from the Russian advance.
He also applauded Germany for “stepping up” its support for Kyiv after chancellor Scholz announced Berlin would be sending its Leopard 2 tanks to the frontline in Ukraine.
Slovakia is ready to send 30 T-72 tanks to Ukraine “immediately” provided it can receive Western tanks to replace them, defence minister Jaroslav Nad said.
Mr Nad told an online media briefing in Ukraine‘s Odesa that Slovakia had sent 30 Soviet-era BVP-1 infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine last year after agreeing that Germany would deliver 15 Leopard 2 tanks to Slovakia to take their place.
“We still have 30 T-72 tanks and would be ready to send them immediately to Ukraine, even tommorrow, if there would be an option to receive Western tanks – Leopards or any other in exchange,” Mr Nad said.
Boris Johnson has wished Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky a happy birthday, saying his “heroic leadership is an example to the whole world.”
It comes after the former prime minister made a surprise visit to Kyiv despite warnings from senior military figures that he should stay away and stop “looking for publicity”.
Ukraine‘s defence minister Oleksiy Reznikov said he spoke with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin on Wednesday, promising “more good news to be announced soon.”
Reznikov said they discussed “further strengthening of (Ukraine‘s army), including tank supplies and maintenance of the new armament.”
“More good news to be announced soon,” the Ukrainian official wrote on Twitter, without providing further details.
The United Nations cultural agency UNESCO said on Wednesday that it had designated the historic centre of Odesa, a strategic port city on Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, a World Heritage in Danger site.
It is hoped the status, awarded by a UNESCO panel meeting in Paris, will help protect Odesa’s cultural heritage which has been under threat since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and enable access to financial and technical international aid.
Odesa has been bombed several times by Russia since its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
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US President Joe Biden speaks about the continued support of Ukraine in its fight against Russia
AFP via Getty Images
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