WASHINGTON Jan 19 US has no plans to include its Abrams tanks into a new military aid package for Ukraine, which could be announced on Friday, due to logistical and service difficulties rather than fear of escalation, Politico reported, citing anonymous sources familiar with the discussion.
In public speeches, officials refuse to talk about the prospects for the transfer of the main American tank, but welcome the intention of the UK to send its Challenger 2 tanks to the Ukrainians and call the adoption of such decisions the sovereign right of any country.
«The (US President Joe) Biden administration is not planning to hand over the Abrams, a 60-ton US Army main battle tank… The reluctance stems from logistical and maintenance difficulties, not fears that the transfer will escalate the conflict,» the publication says.
According to Politico, the next military aid package for Ukraine will be presented on Friday and will include artillery, ammunition and armored vehicles — probably Stryker armored personnel carriers. Earlier, the United States announced the transfer of fifty Bradley infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine.
Against the background of the Russian special operation in Ukraine, the United States and its NATO allies support Kyiv by sending it weapons, the programs cost tens of billions of dollars. Moscow, for its part, has repeatedly stated that the supply of Western weapons only prolongs the conflict, and the transport of weapons becomes a legitimate target for the Russian army.