Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that the US government has approved the delivery of 31 M1 Abrams tanks to the Ukrainian armed forces.
“Tanks are proof of commitment to Ukraine. Europe and the United States are united in helping Ukraine. Putin was wrong, we are all united”he said at the White House, in a statement without the right to questions from journalists.
The deployment of armored vehicles will be accompanied by other measures, such as training Ukrainian troops, with the aim of “improving their maneuverability in the open field” and their long-term military capabilities, the US head of state said.
During the communication, Biden took the opportunity to thank German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, for sending Leopard 2 tanks (German-made) to Ukraine and assured that this measure “does not pose an offensive threat to Russia.”
“Germany delivered. The Chancellor stood for (Western) unity at all times”added the North American leader who was joined during the communication by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
“This is not an offensive threat to Russia”clarified the President of the United States of America (US), who spoke by telephone this Wednesday with Scholz, as well as with the French President, Emmanuel Macron, and with the Prime Ministers of Italy and the United Kingdom, Giorgia Meloni and Rishi Sunak respectively.
The US decision to send Abrams tanks comes on the same day that Berlin confirmed the delivery of 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Kiev, authorizing other countries to send these combat vehicles to Ukraine. Germany’s defense minister said the tanks could be operational on Ukrainian territory in about three months.
Germany had said the Leopard 2 tanks would not be sent unless the US placed their Abrams in Ukraine.
Biden explained that in total, the European allies agreed to send enough tanks to equip two Ukrainian armored car battalions, for a total of 62 tanks.
“As spring approaches, Ukrainian forces are working to defend the territory they control and are preparing for counterattacks,” Biden said.
The Russian military offensive on Ukrainian territory, launched on February 24 last year, plunged Europe into what is considered the most serious security crisis since World War II (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion – justified by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russian security – was condemned by the international community at large, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and Russia political and economic sanctions.
Source: DN
