Biden announces shipment of 31 M-1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine

The United States will send 31 M-1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, as confirmed by the President of the United States, Joe Biden, this Wednesday at the White House, which certifies Washington's turn regarding the military material it delivers to kyiv.

Biden's announcement, which US media had already advanced a day earlier, coincides in time with that of the German government, which will deliver 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukrainian forces and will authorize other countries to also supply these German-made vehicles.

Immediately before his statement, the US president had had telephone conversations with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz;

the French head of state, Emmanuel Macron;

the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, and the British head of government, Rishi Sunak, on assistance to Ukraine, as the White House had pointed out.

The announcements from Washington and Berlin put an end to a major dispute between the allies over the best way to assist Ukraine, which was demanding tanks to respond to the offensive that Russia appears to be preparing for the coming months and to recover at least part of its the territories occupied by Moscow.

Scholz was reluctant to authorize the supply of the Leopards alone for fear of a possible reaction from Moscow.

The Pentagon considered the Abrams not the most practical solution.

Although they are very agile and resistant vehicles, they require special training to drive.

They also consume huge amounts of jet kerosene and need a very large support group to ensure their upkeep: their logistics chains would be more difficult to build.

By contrast, the Leopard requires much less fuel and is more established among European armies, making it easier to trace their logistics chains to Ukraine.

The Abrams entered service in the eighties, it is equipped with a 1,500 horsepower engine and a 120-millimeter cannon.

The Pentagon describes it as a vehicle of "deadly might, unparalleled survivability, and bold maneuverability."

Breaking news.

Expansion will follow soon

Follow all the international information on