Despite President Biden’s promises The delivery of 31 Abrams M1 tanks to Ukraine on Wednesday could take months before the artillery arrives, according to reports.
The New York Post reported: Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh The US has confirmed that it does not stockpile enough M1 Abrams tanks to send to Ukraine at this time.
“We can’t have an excess of these tanks in our US inventory, which is why it will take months to move these M1A2 Abrams to Ukraine,” Singh told the Post.
Biden, on the contrary, approves sending 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine
If the tank was the property of the Department of Defense, it would take less than a week to box it up and ship it. But when using the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) program, it can take months or years as the government makes procurements to identify and hire contractors to manufacture the weapons.
Biden announced approval of the weapon on Wednesday, just hours after Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Ukraine We will also be getting Leopard 2 tanks from Berlin as Russia is planning a major offensive.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of Defense joined President Anthony Brinkin, who described the tank as “the most capable tank in the world” to enhance Ukraine’s capabilities on the battlefield.
Russia responds to US, German tanks delivered to Ukraine: ‘direct involvement in conflict’
“This is about freedom, freedom in Ukraine, freedom everywhere,” Biden said.
The decision to send tanks came after weeks of stalled and frustrated negotiations with Germany, which a senior defense official described as “the product of good diplomatic conversations”.
Germany hinted earlier this month that it would not agree to send tanks to Ukraine unless the US agreed as well, citing concerns about escalating war.
The senior defense official did not confirm whether the decision was dictated by Berlin or Washington’s motives for deploying Leopard tanks in Germany, but the move is a move that could lead to long-term support for Ukraine. supported as an indication.
The US has already supplied thousands of combat vehicles, including 1,700 Humvees, and earlier this month pledged to send 500 more of several types of armored vehicles.
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Abrams tanks will be procured through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and will not be procured directly from US stockpiles.
It is unclear how long it will take for the Abrams tanks to be operational in Ukraine, and defense officials have not disclosed where the training will take place, although it has been confirmed that the training will take place outside of Ukraine. increase.
Caitlin McFall of Fox News contributed to this report.