U.S. will speed transfer of Abrams tanks to Ukraine

The Washington Post

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon, in a significant shift, said Tuesday that it will send M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine by the fall, after facing scrutiny for initially saying it could take a year or two to procure the powerful weapons and get them to the battlefield.

The new plan calls for refurbishing tank hulls already in the U.S. arsenal, officials said. President Biden, under intensifying pressure from Ukrainian officials, agreed in January to pledge 31 M1 tanks as part of a longterm arrangement that afforded German leaders political cover so that they could approve the immediate provision of Leopard

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battle tanks.

Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said that when the United States promised to provide Ukraine with the Abrams, the intent was to provide its more advanced variant, the M1A2. But, he said, officials continued “exploring options to deliver the armored capability as quickly as possible” and settled on refurbishing older M1A1 variants, allowing for expedited delivery. He did not clarify where it found those hulls in the American arsenal.

“This is about getting this important combat capability into the hands of the Ukrainians sooner rather than later,” Ryder told reporters during a news conference.

Both versions of the tank have a 120mm cannon and machine guns, while the M1A2 typically also includes digital controls, improved sensors and a thermal viewer for the tank’s commander.

Ryder declined to specify on Tuesday where the refurbishment will occur, but officials familiar with the work have said they anticipate it will take place at a government-owned facility in Lima, Ohio. General Dynamics Land Systems operates the plant, the only U.S. factory building tanks.

The Pentagon’s disclosure came as Russian President Vlad imir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping hold talks in Moscow, where the two leaders prom ised to deepen ties. The closely watched meeting has fueled con cern in the United States and Eu rope that Beijing will come to the Kremlin’s aid as its military con tinues to suffer massive losses in Ukraine and its defense industry, hobbled by Western sanctions, struggles to replenish destroyed or expended weapons.

NATO’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, told reporters in Brussels on Tuesday that he had seen no proof China is delivering weapons to Russia but said there are signs that Russia has requested them and that Beijing is considering doing so.

In Washington, a bipartisan group of senators urged the Pentagon to conduct an “urgent and comprehensive” assessment of what it would need to counter Russia in Europe should conflict erupt between the nuclear powers. The lawmakers cited

Russia’s extensive combat losses, estimated to be approaching 200,000 dead and wounded, and the Defense Department’s current plan to next assess its needs there in 2026.

“Put simply, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have significantly degraded Russia’s conventional forces over the past year,” their letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said. It was signed by Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Angus King (I-Maine).

The senators added that Western sanctions have constrained Moscow’s ability to rebuild its conventional forces and that