Image source: topwar.ru
Ukraine may receive American M1 Abrams tanks much earlier than previously announced. The Pentagon has not yet made a final decision on the delivery option, Breaking Defense reports, citing a senior official of the US State Department.
The United States has not yet decided which tanks to send to Ukraine - new ones that will still need to be produced, or old ones that are in storage. There is no final decision, although about a month has passed since the announcement of the potential supply of heavy armored vehicles to Ukraine.
According to First Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Military and Political Affairs Stanley Brown, it was initially assumed that 31 M1A2 Abrams tanks for the Ukrainian army would be produced under the new contract. Then it was proposed to supply tanks with storage, so as not to wait for a long time. Now even the option of a combined delivery is being discussed, in which half of the tanks will be new, and the other half will be "not very". Such a step will potentially accelerate the delivery of tanks to Kiev.
- the official said.
Meanwhile, not all US military support the transfer of Abrams tanks to Ukraine, there are also opponents of this decision. The main reasons why Kiev should not receive American tanks - they may fall into the hands of the Russian military, as well as the complexity of operation. It is stated that Ukraine does not have a specialized base for servicing American tanks, and this makes them, in fact, disposable.
