By KYIV. Sept 1 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine is slated to receive the first ten of 31 promised Abrams tanks in mid-September, a representative of the U.S. Department of Defense and another source familiar with the issue told Politico on condition of anonymity.
The DOD official said that ten of the 70-ton tanks are currently in Germany undergoing final refurbishments, and once that is complete, they will be shipped to Ukraine.
“The U.S. is committed to expedite delivery of the 31 tanks to Ukraine by the fall,” the publication quoted representative of the U.S. Army command in Europe and Africa, Colonel Martin O’Donnell. He declined to provide a specific timeline.
O’Donnell also informed that a group of Ukrainian military has already completed the training program at Abrams, specifying that about 200 soldiers practise on training tanks of the U.S. army military grounds in Germany.
It is indicated that Western officials hope that the tanks will give the AFU the necessary advantage to break through the Russian defense during the counteroffensive.
As reported in May, 31 American M1A1 Abrams tanks were delivered to the German city of Bremerhaven to train the Ukrainian military. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin claimed that by the time they complete the training term for about 10 weeks, the Abrams tanks, which are manufactured for the Ukrainian forces, will be ready.
