US government sends 31 tanks to Ukraine

EPA

NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 18:09

The US government is sending 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. President Biden just announced this on American television.

The 31 tanks are comparable to one tank battalion. According to the Bloomberg news agency, the 31 tanks have a value of 400 million dollars (367 million euros).

Biden said at the press conference that “the United States and Europe are fully united” in the decision.

Earlier today, Ukraine’s defense minister spoke to his US counterpart about “further strengthening” the Ukrainian army. On Twitter, the Ukrainian minister said that “more good news” would come soon, following Germany’s decision today to send fourteen Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

The modern Abrams tanks are heavily armored and largely similar to the Leopards. In the United States, however, logistical problems with the Abrams tanks have been pointed out. They run on kerosene instead of diesel and are therefore more difficult to maintain. They are also more difficult to control. Moreover, the tanks can only be deployed in Ukraine in a few months.

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