The United States is about to approve the shipment of M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine

In what would be a change of position, the administration of the president Joe Biden is about to approve the shipment of M1 Abrams tanks to UkraineUS officials said Tuesday, as international reluctance to send tanks to the front lines against the Russians begins to subside.

The decision could be announced this Wednesday, although delivery of the tanks could take months or years. US authorities said the details are still being worked out.

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An official said that the tanks would be purchased in a forthcoming package under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiativewhich provides long-term financing to purchase weapons and equipment from private vendors.

The US announcement is expected to be made on Wednesday in coordination with the German announcement. that it will approve the application for Poland to transfer its German Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, according to an official. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision has not yet been made public.

By accepting the shipment of the Abrams In an as-yet-unspecified timeframe under the assistance initiative, the administration can meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s demand that the United States commit without having to send the tanks immediately.

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Weapons supplied through the assistance initiative can take anywhere from months to several years to reach the battlefield. Much of the aid sent so far in this 11-month war has come through a separate program that uses Pentagon reserves to get weapons to Ukraine faster. But even under that program, it would take months to get the tanks to Ukraine and train Ukrainian forces in their handling. It is not known how many tanks will be approved.

Until now, the United States has resisted supply M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraineciting the enormous logistical and maintenance problems posed by these state-of-the-art vehicles.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.