US sending 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine in response to Kyiv's appeal

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The Biden administration is sending 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine in response to Kyiv's appeals, three senior administration officials said Wednesday as the US seeks to marshal international support for the country.

One official said the tanks will be delivered in months, rather than weeks, but did not have a firm timeline. Asked why the Biden administration fixed the number of tanks at 31, the official said the figure was decided because it is equivalent to one Ukrainian tank battalion.

Another official said training on the complex advanced tanks will be conducted outside Ukraine, which is in line with how the US previously instructed Ukrainian personnel on other weapons platforms it has delivered.

In addition to tanks, the US will be procuring eight M88 armored vehicles for Ukraine. The M88s accompany the Abrams and provide support if they become damaged or stuck, and allow maintenance to be conducted in the field.

US President Joe Biden is expected to formally announce the deliveries later Wednesday.

The announcement comes in the wake of Germany signing off on the delivery of 14 of its Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks, and announcing that it would allow other nations already in possession of the tanks to export them to Ukraine. The German Defense Ministry subsequently announced that it would begin training Ukrainian troops on the Leopards within days.

Reports had earlier suggested that Berlin would not consent to send Leopard 2's to Ukraine without the US sending Abrams tanks.

So far, five other European nations have said they would be sending their Leopard 2’s to Ukraine, including Norway, Spain, Finland, the Netherlands, and Poland.

The Pentagon previously voiced caution about supplying the Abrams to Ukraine, saying as recently as Tuesday that the tanks are "a complex weapon system that is challenging to maintain," citing, in particular, their need for jet fuel, hefty maintenance requirements and significant training needed to operate them.

One of the officials acknowledged that the tanks' "technical aspects" make it "a little bit more challenging than some systems that that we have provided Ukraine in the past."

"It is the most capable tank in the world but it is also the most sophisticated. And there is supply chain issues that have to be dealt with, certainly training and maintenance issues that have to be dealt with, and that's why we're doing it this way," the official said.