The tanks will take "months" to arrive in Ukraine and will be accompanied by armoured recovery vehicles called M88s to support them

US announces 31 Abrams tanks to be sent to Ukraine

photo_camera MATEUSZ SLODKOWSKI/AFP - Although the tanks will take "months" to arrive, the US will immediately begin training Ukrainian military personnel to learn how to operate the Abrams tanks

The United States announced Wednesday that it will send 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine and will immediately begin training Ukrainian soldiers in a third country in their use and maintenance.

The tanks will take "months" to arrive in Ukraine and will be accompanied by armoured recovery vehicles called M88s to support them, a senior US official told reporters.

According to the source, Joe Biden's administration has decided to send exactly 31 Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine because that number is equivalent to one tank battalion in the Ukrainian armed forces.

Although the tanks will take some time to arrive, the US will immediately begin training Ukrainian military personnel to learn how to operate these "complex" vehicles and maintain them over time.

The training will take place in a third country, not inside Ukraine, but the US government has not yet made public where it will take place.

For its part, the US defence department is looking for ways to send the equipment and fuel needed by the Abrams to Ukraine, another senior official told reporters.

US President Joe Biden has made the announcement official with a speech at the White House.

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Biden also spoke by phone on Wednesday with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, and the prime ministers of the United Kingdom and Italy, Rishi Sunak and Giorgia Meloni, respectively, the White House said.

Another official told reporters that the shipment of Abrams tanks shows Washington's "long-term commitment" to the defence of Ukraine and the "strong unity and determination" of the international community.

Germany announced on Wednesday that it was sending 14 "Leopard 2 A6" tanks, and other countries, such as Spain, have expressed readiness to send the tanks to Ukraine.

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