Biden's promise to send tanks delayed by lack of inventory: reports - Fox News

Despite President Biden’s promise to nonstop 31 Abrams M1 tanks to Ukraine connected Wednesday, it could instrumentality months for the artillery to arrive, according to reports.

The New York Post reported that Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh confirmed that the U.S. does not person capable of M1 Abrams tanks successful its stockpile to nonstop implicit to Ukraine astatine this time.

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Army M1A1 Abrams vessel fires during NATO enhanced Forward Presence conflict radical subject workout Crystal Arrow 2021 successful Adazi, Latvia March 26, 2021, REUTERS/Ints Kalnins/File Photo

"We conscionable don’t person these tanks disposable successful excess successful our US stocks, which is wherefore it is going to instrumentality months to transportation these M1A2 Abrams to Ukraine," Singh told the Post.

BIDEN APPROVES SENDING 31 M1 ABRAMS TANKS TO UKRAINE, IN REVERSAL

If the tanks were successful the Pentagon’s possession, it would instrumentality little than a week to get the tanks boxed and shipped. But erstwhile utilizing the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, oregon USAI, program, it could instrumentality months oregon years due to the fact that the authorities goes done procurement to place and prosecute contractors to physique the weapons.

Biden announced the weapons support connected Wednesday, conscionable hours aft German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz said Ukraine would besides get Leopard 2 tanks from Berlin arsenic Russia plans for a large offensive.

President Biden speaks astir ostentation and proviso concatenation issues successful Los Angeles.  (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Defense Secretary joined the president Antony Blinkin, who described the tanks arsenic the "most susceptible tanks successful the world" which volition heighten Ukraine’s quality connected the battlefield.

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"This is astir freedom, state for Ukraine, state everywhere," Biden said.

The determination to nonstop tanks came aft weeks of stalled and frustrated negotiations with Germany, which elder defence officials described arsenic the "product of bully diplomatic conversations."

Earlier this month, Germany suggested it would not hold to nonstop its tanks to Ukraine unless the U.S. did arsenic well, citing concerns implicit escalating the war.

Located successful Arlington, Virginia, conscionable crossed the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., the Pentagon has served arsenic the epicenter of the U.S. military, lodging the Department of Defense, the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force, since the 1940s.  (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

While elder defence officials would not corroborate if the determination was a stipulation of Berlin’s oregon information from Washington to get Germany to rotation retired the Leopard tanks, the determination was championed arsenic a amusement of semipermanent enactment for Ukraine.

The U.S. has already supplied thousands of combat vehicles, including 1,700 Humvees and pledged earlier this period to nonstop different 500 armored vehicles of respective types.

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The Abrams tanks volition beryllium procured done the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and volition not travel straight from U.S. stockpiles.

It remains unclear however agelong it volition instrumentality to get the Abrams tanks up and moving successful Ukraine and defence officials did not accidental wherever the trainings volition instrumentality place, though it was confirmed that the trainings would beryllium held extracurricular of Ukraine.

Caitlin McFall of Fox News contributed to this report.