Biden announces U.S. will send Abrams tanks to Ukraine but says delivery will ‘take time’
MarketWatch
1/25/2023
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President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced the U.S. would send 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine to help it defend itself against the Russian invasion, but he warned that it would take time to deliver the equipment.
“Delivering these tanks to the field is going to take time,” Biden said in remarks at the White House. He said the U.S. wants to ensure that Ukraine is “fully prepared” to integrate the tanks into its defenses.
Now read: Why is the U.S. sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine, and what are they?
Biden’s remarks came after he spoke Wednesday morning with President Emmanuel Macron of France, Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of the United Kingdom.
Biden praised Scholz for Germany’s decision to also contribute tanks, saying the country has “really stepped up.” The U.S. decision follows Germany agreeing to send 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks from its own stocks. Germany had said the Leopards would not be sent unless the U.S. put its Abrams on the table, not wanting to incur Russia’s wrath without the U.S. similarly committing its own tanks.
The Abrams tanks are manufactured by a unit of defense giant General Dynamics Corp.
In his remarks, Biden said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had expected U.S. and European resolve for supporting Ukraine to weaken.
“He was wrong,” Biden said. “These tanks are further evidence of our enduring, unflagging commitment to Ukraine.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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