The first batch of American-made Abrams tanks arrived in Ukraine on Monday months ahead of schedule, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced, thanking Washington for keeping its word to help in the ongoing counteroffensive against Russian forces.
The much-needed tanks arrived just in time to help Ukraine advance its nearly three-month counterattack, which could be hampered by the rapidly approaching winter.
“Good news from Minister Umerov. Abrams is already in Ukraine and they are preparing to reinforce our brigades,” Zelensky said on Telegram, adding that he was “grateful to the allies.”
Zelensky did not say how many tanks arrived, although the United States is expected to deliver 31 of the vehicles over the next few weeks.
Anonymous US defense officials told the New York Times that two tank platoons, between eight and 10, were delivered on Monday, although more M1 Abrams tanks will be delivered in the coming months.
The first batch of American-made Abrams tanks arrived in Ukraine on Monday, Zelensky said. fake images
The Abrams tanks will be added to Ukraine’s arsenal as the country attempts to recapture Russian-held territory in Ukraine’s eastern and southern regions, where fighting has raged relentlessly for months without any major victories.
The long-awaited shipment comes as experts warn that Ukraine’s Western allies, including the United States, have halted the supply of critical weapons for the long-awaited counteroffensive, including Abrams tanks and F-16 fighter jets.
Some experts went so far as to argue that if Ukraine had received the weapons it asked for last year, when Russia was most vulnerable after a series of humiliating defeats, Kiev could have avoided many deaths and been in a much stronger position now.
The United States said it will send 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine in the coming months. AFP via Getty Images
Hesitancy to provide military aid (stemming in part from Western fears gleefully stoked by Moscow propagandists of a nuclear war with Russia) has given Vladimir Putin’s army time to map and mine huge swathes of occupied territory and erect formidable weapons of World War I and World War II. World War II style defenses.
As a result, Ukraine’s counteroffensive has slowed, something that experts say would be altered by the addition of Abrams tanks to Ukraine’s arsenal, as well as F-16s.
“If more had been approved earlier, with faster training and execution as a clear priority, Ukraine would likely have been better off today, as Russia would have had less time to prepare and Ukraine would have had more combat power to apply to its targets.” before. ” retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Gordon “Skip” Davis, now a senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, previously told The Post.
Zelensky did not say exactly how many of the long-awaited tanks arrived this week. fake images
Still, Ukraine would not be able to make use of new equipment, such as the F-16s, until next year, because training the planes’ pilots and building infrastructure to maintain them and protect them from Russian missiles takes time.
Monday’s delivery was a response to Ukraine’s persistent requests for modern tanks earlier this year. European countries have already provided the country with dozens of German-made Leopards, as well as some British Challengers.
Ukraine has carried out a recent series of attacks against key Russian targets, including one against the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet last week. During that attack, Admiral Viktor Sokolov, commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, was killed along with 33 others.
The shipment comes as US experts warned that Washington has stalled the shipment of much-needed weapons. fake images
The Russian Defense Ministry has not commented on whether Sokolov had been killed in the attack on Crimea, which Russia seized and annexed in 2014.
Russian-installed officials confirmed the Ukrainian attack on Friday and said at least one missile hit the fleet headquarters.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn