US joins Germany in sending battle tanks to Ukraine - BBC

The US volition nonstop 31 almighty conflict tanks to Ukraine, joining Germany successful sending the vehicles to enactment the combat against Russia's invasion.

The determination to present the M1 Abrams tanks was announced conscionable hours aft Germany said it would nonstop 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks to the battlefield.

Berlin besides cleared the mode for different European countries to nonstop German-made tanks from their ain stocks.

Ukraine has lobbied Western allies to nonstop the subject instrumentality for months.

It hailed the duplicate announcements arsenic a turning constituent that would let its subject to regain momentum and instrumentality backmost occupied territory astir a twelvemonth aft Moscow invaded. It besides said the tanks could assistance deter a imaginable Russian violative successful the spring.

"An important measurement connected the way to victory," Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said. "Today the escaped satellite is agreed arsenic ne'er earlier for a communal extremity - liberation of Ukraine."

Russia, meanwhile, condemned the moves arsenic a "blatant provocation" and said immoderate supplied tanks would beryllium destroyed. "These tanks pain similar each the rest. They are conscionable precise expensive," President Vladimir Putin's spokesperson said.

"Putin expected Europe and the United States to weaken our resolve," President Joe Biden said portion announcing the determination astatine the White House connected Wednesday. "He was incorrect from the opening and helium continues to beryllium wrong."

"We're besides giving Ukraine the parts and instrumentality indispensable to efficaciously prolong these tanks successful battle," helium said. "This is astir helping Ukraine support and support Ukrainian land. It is not an violative menace to Russia."

A Ukrainian vessel battalion typically consists of 31 tanks, which is wherefore that fig has been agreed upon, Mr Biden said.

The US decision, however, marks a reversal successful their presumption arsenic the Biden medication has insisted for immoderate clip that the dense M1 Abrams tanks would beryllium hard to deliver, costly to support and challenging for Ukrainian troops to operate.

The US-made subject conveyance is 1 of the astir modern conflict tanks successful the satellite and requires extended grooming to operate. The $400m (£323m) American bundle besides includes 8 betterment vehicles that tin tow the tanks if they go stuck.

But it is apt to beryllium galore months earlier the tanks scope the battlefield, experts say, arsenic they volition beryllium purchased from backstage contractors and not sent from an existing stockpile.

The German-made Leopard 2 tanks, however, volition beryllium drawn from existing banal and are expected to get successful 2 to 3 months. They are wide seen arsenic 1 of the astir effectual conflict tanks available.

The determination to nonstop the dense weapons follows weeks of diplomatic wrangling. Germany faced mounting planetary unit to nonstop the tanks, and determination are reports that the eventual determination to bash truthful was conditional connected the US doing the same.

Both sides participated successful "good diplomatic conversations" that made the quality and contributed to the "extraordinary displacement successful Germany's information policy", a elder US authoritative said connected information of anonymity earlier connected Wednesday.

When asked if the US determination was designed to springiness Germany screen to nonstop tanks, nationalist information spokesperson John Kirby said: "I wouldn't usage the connection cover. What this determination does bash is amusement however unified we are with our allies."

He attributed the alteration successful Washington's presumption to the conditions connected the crushed arsenic good arsenic Russia's tactics, without giving further details.

Mr Kirby besides said the determination was based connected the "kinds of fighting... that we judge the Ukrainians are going to request to beryllium susceptible of successful the weeks and months ahead".

Ukrainian crews would soon beryllium trained to usage the Leopard tanks successful Germany, officials successful Berlin said. Mr Biden said troops would beryllium trained to usage the American-made tanks "as soon arsenic possible" but added that delivering them would instrumentality time.

While the acquisition of tanks from the West volition beryllium considered a diplomatic coup for President Volodymyr Zelensky, helium said connected Tuesday that his state required astatine slightest 300 of them to decision Russia.

Several European countries person Leopard 2 tanks successful their stocks, and the German determination means immoderate of these tin besides beryllium sent to Ukraine. Germany hopes astir 90 volition yet beryllium delivered to the battlefield.

Norway announced aboriginal connected Wednesday that it would nonstop Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, but did not specify however galore it would deliver.