Kyiv: Ukraine to receive more than 10 Abrams tanks from US in first shipment
More than ten Abrams tanks, which the US promised to provide to Ukrainian military, will arrive in Ukraine in the near future. The crews who will operate the combat vehicles are already undergoing training, said the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Oleksiy Danilov in an interview with Ukrainian Radio.
The Secretary of the NSDC also stated that there will be more tanks than previously reported, and Ukrainian military personnel are already learning how to operate them: "There will be more than ten. At the moment, the corresponding number of training crews are acquiring the skills to operate this modern weaponry. Our strategic partners, the US, are not letting us down in this matter. These tanks will soon be defending our country."
Previously, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated that Ukraine will receive 31 Abrams tanks in early fall. When asked whether the tank deliveries to Ukraine could be accelerated, the Pentagon chief responded that the American military not only sends equipment and trains Ukrainian forces to operate them, but also establishes infrastructure to support the operation of the new tanks for the Ukrainians.
The Abrams tanks are part of the nearly 300 tanks promised by Ukraine’s Western allies, including Leopard 2 tanks from Spain and Germany, Challenger tanks from the UK, and Leclerc light tanks from France.