After pressure from NATO members and Ukraine to provide the cutting-edge armored vehicles as Kyiv prepared for a potential fresh Russian attack, the United States and Germany each declared independently on Wednesday that they will deliver battle tanks to Ukraine.
Why it matters: Ukraine has been pleading with the West for months to deliver more cutting-edge weaponry as it attempts to retake territory from Russia. The U.S. decision to send Abrams M1 tanks and the German declaration on the Leopard 2 tanks is a big boost for Ukraine.
The delivery of the tanks, according to Biden, would “take time.”
To “maintain our close collaboration and complete support of Ukraine,” Biden claimed that he had spoken with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, and the U.K. before the announcement.
John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, described the Abrams tanks as “the most competent, powerful tank in the world” and said they will help Ukraine “battle effectively on wide terrain” during a news briefing on Wednesday afternoon.
The delivery of the Abrams has not been scheduled, but according to Kirby, it will likely be “several months before they’re actually there.”
According to a statement from its government, Germany would first provide 14 Leopard 2 tanks from its own stock along with ammunition, logistical support, and maintenance assistance.
The German government claimed that the objective was for Germany and its allies to: provide two battalions with Leopards, or 88 tanks, according to AP.
Quick catch-up The argument over deploying tanks to Ukraine has become more heated among Western allies in the past week, especially between the U.S. and Germany.
In recent days, the Biden administration made a case against deploying Abrams, citing logistical difficulties. US authorities said that sending German Leopard 2 tanks would be more advantageous because many of their partners in Europe already possess them and because they are simpler to maintain.
According to Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, spokesman for the Pentagon, “the M1 (Abrams) is a complicated weapons system that is tough to maintain… that was true yesterday, that is true today, and that will be true in the future.”
Scholz had been reluctant to send the Leopards up until Wednesday, worried that things might get wor
