The three US officials said Berlin has tried to put the U.S. on the spot about sending Abrams tanks, and there has been frustration within the Biden admin. with Germany over the back and forth. The officials insist the German pressure is not going to work.
The German government signaled it may send its ownto Ukraine if the U.S. also agrees to send Ukraine the M1 Abrams, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz insisting Germany will only act in concert with allies.
But both Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley have recommended against sending M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, the three U.S. officials said. Two U.S. officials also noted that Ukraine already has hundreds of tanks at its disposal and over the past year has captured hundreds of Russian tanks on the battlefield and added those to its inventory.
During public remarks Friday, Austin appeared to allude to what U.S. officials said his position has been privately — that he does not see tanks as critical to the current fight in Ukraine and that they can’t be brought on line right away. At the end of the meetings Friday, the Germans did not announce they would send Leopard tanks to Ukraine.“In order for us to defeat the Russian Federation, we absolutely need tanks,” said Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. “The fact is that the question of which weapon is needed is determined by the military. It is the military that insists that tanks and heavy artillery are crucial today.
Instead of Abrams tanks, Milley and Austin have advocated to send armored vehicles, including Strykers, Bradleys, MRAPs and others. “These provide strategic flexibility while being able to move troops around the battlefield,” the U.S. official said, and the armor provides protection from Russian attacks.Artur Widak / AP file
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