Biden made a statement about sending 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine
President Biden announced Wednesday that he plans to send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, reversing the administration’s longstanding resistance to requests from Kyiv for the highly sophisticated but maintenance-heavy vehicles.
Biden said US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recommended this move because it would strengthen Ukraine's capacity to "defend its territory and achieve its strategic objectives."
"The Abrams tanks are the most capable in the world. They're also extremely complex to operate and maintain, so we're also giving Ukraine the parts and equipment necessustain these tanks on the battlefield effectively. We'll begin to train the Ukrainian troops on these issues of sustainment, logistics and maintenance as soon as possible," Biden said in remarks from the White House.
The Abrams will take months to arrive, senior administration officials said and will require extensive training for Ukrainian troops on how to operate and service them. The US must navigate complicated supply chains for the components needed for the tanks.
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