The Ukrainian armed forces are trained to operate such tanks, said Biden's national security aide Jake SullivanWASHINGTON, September 30.
/tass/. The United States will continue to assist Ukraine in obtaining Soviet-style tanks, which are trained to operate the Ukrainian armed forces. This was announced on Friday by Assistant to the US President for National Security Jake Sullivan at a briefing at the White House.
He was asked whether tanks made by the United States or another country should be provided to Ukraine with the assistance of the United States. "We really facilitated the supply of tanks to Ukraine by some of our Eastern European partners, who provided Soviet-style tanks of the same type that the Ukrainian army is trained to operate and has. And we will continue to do so," the presidential adviser replied. He stressed that he could not yet announce which additional weapons the United States intended to supply to Ukraine in the near future.
Then Sullivan was asked whether the United States excluded the supply of NATO-standard tanks to Ukraine, Abrams tanks, modern tanks that Kiev is asking for. "I'm not ruling anything out. I will say that for today I have no announcements on American tanks. As for the German tanks, I address you to Germany, which is conducting its own consultations with Ukraine [on this topic]," the assistant to the American leader replied.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military operation in Ukraine in connection with the request of the leaders of the republics of Donbass for help. He stressed that Moscow's plans do not include the occupation of Ukrainian territories, and the goals are demilitarization and denazification of the country. The West, in response to Russia's decision, began to gradually impose numerous and large-scale sanctions against it. Along with this, Western states have begun to supply weapons and military equipment to Kiev. Several Western politicians have admitted that it is, in fact, an economic war against Russia. As Putin stated on March 16, the Western sanctions policy towards Moscow has all the signs of aggression. He pointed out that the policy of containing Russia is a long-term strategy of the West.
