Has pledged to provide 15 leopard 2 tanks to ukraine, with additional tanks coming from the us, poland, norway, and other european countries. president volodymyr zelensky of ukraine asked nato secretary general jens stoltenberg to provide the tanks in significant numbers, and the us responded by announcing it would be sending 31 m1 abrams battle tanks. russia condemned the move, saying any supplied tanks would be destroyed, but us president joe biden said putin was wrong to expect europe and the us to weaken their resolve. the us package also includes recovery vehicles, ammunition, equipment, and funding for training and maintenance.
Tanks are expected to arrive in two to three months, with the m1 abrams tanks taking longer due to the need to purchase them from private contractors or other countries. reports suggest the move was conditional on the us also taking action. ukrainian crews will be trained in germany to use the tanks, and around 90 are expected to be delivered to the battlefield. us state department spokesperson john kirby expressed support for germany’s decision, saying they join germany in supporting ukraine’s right to defend itself.
Had lobbied western allies for months to provide the tanks, which are seen as one of the most effective battle tanks available. ukraine expressed that the tanks could help deter a potential russian offensive in the spring, and the heavy tanks require extensive training to operate. the tanks are considered one of the most modern battle tanks in the world, and ukraine hailed the move as a turning point in their fight to retake occupied territory from russia.
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