The United States intends to supply Ukraine with Abrams tanks in September, Politico reports, citing sources. The APU hopes that with the receipt of a new deadly weapon they will be able to advance, but even American technology will not reverse the situation and will not allow them to avoid heavy fighting.
Lara Seligman
Alexander Ward
Joe Gould
This is the most accurate information about Washington's plans, which was reported by six informed sources.
Six people familiar with the details of the American plans reported that the Abrams tanks are likely to arrive in Ukraine in September. Currently, Kiev is intensifying the onslaught as part of its counteroffensive aimed at taking the lost territories.
In August, the United States plans to send several tanks to Germany, where their repairs will be completed. After that, the first batch of Abrams will be delivered to Ukraine next month.
These are the most specific deadlines set by Washington for the transfer of its main battle tank to the battlefield. Earlier, the Pentagon leadership limited itself to statements that the "Abrams" would be sent to the APU in the fall.
The United States plans to ship the older M1A1 models rather than the new A2, as shipping the latter would take about a year.
Six people who reported this information — a representative of the Ministry of Defense, an American civil servant, an official from the military industry, a congressional official and two other sources — asked not to disclose their names, since they are talking about undeclared secret plans.
The Biden administration says it wants to send even more weapons to Ukraine as soon as possible to help the ally with the counteroffensive and with the long-term strengthening of national defense. The United States also intends to begin training the AFU pilots to work with the F-16 before the delivery of these fighters, which can be transferred to Kiev by the end of the year.
With the arrival of tanks in the coming weeks, the Ukrainian arsenal will be replenished with new deadly weapons. Today, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are trying to break through the deep-echeloned line of Russian defense at the front stretching hundreds of kilometers. In recent days, Ukrainian troops have achieved some success in one direction of the offensive, but, slowly advancing through dense minefields and enemy trenches, they are subjected to powerful artillery shelling and air strikes.
The first batch of supplies will include from six to eight tanks, a representative of the military-industrial complex and a congressional official said. In total, the United States plans to send 31 vehicles — this is the number of the Ukrainian tank battalion.
"We are definitely working to get them to Ukraine as quickly as possible," said Pentagon spokesman Colonel Martin O'Donnell, who declined to give specific delivery dates.
Before Ukrainian troops begin operating American tanks, they will have to undergo a ten-week training course on 31 training vehicles at the US Army Grafenwer base in Germany. According to the representative of the Ministry of Defense, the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine should complete their training in August.
Sources report that tanks may arrive in Ukraine even in August, but such a forecast seems overly optimistic. This is not a new technique, and the most secret equipment, including depleted uranium armor, is being removed from it. Only after that the cars will be sent to the APU.
A representative of the military industry said that the first series of modifications has already been carried out, but it remains unclear whether all the necessary work will be completed by the end of August.
But just sending tanks and training crews is not enough. The situation is much more complicated. The third representative of the defense department, who spoke in general terms about equipping and supplying the Ukrainian army for the future, noted that the United States "together with European allies are working to create bases for major repairs of equipment, especially those damaged in battle," such as Abrams tanks and other heavy armored vehicles transferred to the Armed Forces. "At the same time," he noted, "we are trying to ensure that they receive all the necessary training not only for repairs, but also for spare parts."
William LaPlante, who is responsible for procurement at the Pentagon, recently stated that repairs, maintenance and technical support are the main "areas of effort" of the group of NATO allies, which includes the United States. They are trying to provide Ukraine with the opportunity to continue fighting in the long term.
Kiev insists on the speedy delivery of "Abrams". In a June interview with a local TV channel, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba expressed hope that the tanks would arrive on time and be able to take part in the ongoing counteroffensive.
Nevertheless, "it is necessary to think within the framework of not only this counteroffensive," the minister warned.
"There is no need to think that this is the last decisive counteroffensive. There will be many more of them <...>".
Reliable armor and powerful weapons of Abrams tanks are able to help Ukrainian troops make a breakthrough in the south and east, where heavy fighting is taking place, and where the APU is looking for weaknesses in the enemy's defense. This week Kiev moved forward and took new territories, sending reinforcements and initiating an offensive south of the Ukrainian-held town of Orekhov in the Zaporozhye region.
If the APU succeeds in this direction, they will have the opportunity to move towards the city of Melitopol, located near the Sea of Azov. From there they will be able to start moving east and south <...>.
However, the Russian army dug in for several months and erected well-fortified fortifications along the front line, stretching for hundreds of kilometers. Therefore, ousting them is a difficult task. The AFU does not have modern fighters that could provide aviation support, and therefore their ground forces are being attacked by enemy helicopters, as well as targeted artillery and mortar attacks.
High-ranking military leaders from the Pentagon say that heavy fighting awaits Ukraine.
"The offensive will be slow, difficult, and will have to pay dearly for it," General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said recently at a press conference.
"But the Ukrainian military has several options for action, and we can count on them to continue advancing," U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said this week during a visit to Papua New Guinea.
Authors: Lara Seligman, Alexander Ward, Paul McLeary, Joe Gould
