Biden Says US Will Send Tanks to Ukraine in Broad Allied Effort
- Germany also promises to send Leopard 2 battle tanks
- Allies announce wider moves to send far more powerful weapons
M1 Abrams tanks, left, during an exercise near the town of Oppdal, Norway in 2018.
Photographer: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
The US will send Ukraine 31 of its M1 Abrams battle tanks, adding to a German commitment to supply some of its top-line armor and infusing the country with a major new capability as it looks to pry Russian forces from the east.
The tanks will help Ukraine achieve its changing strategic objectives, President Joe Biden said Wednesday, adding that delivery of the vehicles would take time — though he didn’t say how much. The first batch of 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks, which will come from existing German stocks, could arrive in Ukraine within three months, part of a broader European promise for 100 tanks.