Ukraine will receive Abrams tanks before the beginning of autumn

US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin said that Ukraine will definitely receive Abrams tanks by the beginning of autumn, at which time the training programs of the Ukrainian military should also be completed, the Voice of America reports. radiosvoboda.org.

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"We are doing everything possible to speed up the delivery of these tanks. According to our forecasts, this will happen at the beginning of autumn. In the meantime, we moved several tanks to the training ground so that the Ukrainians could begin their training. By the time the training is completed, the tanks will be available for use," the US Secretary of Defense said at a Senate hearing.

According to him, such terms are explained by the fact that the American military not only sends these tanks to Ukraine and prepares the Ukrainian military to work on them, but also creates the infrastructure that will support the operation of these tanks, which are new equipment for Ukrainians.

"As you know, this technique is significantly different, in particular, due to the turbine engine and other fairly complex systems. But we are trying to transfer this equipment to the Ukrainians as soon as possible. They will definitely have everything in stock by early fall,” Austin said.

Washington in January agreed to provide Ukraine with 31 Abrams tanks, which came as a surprise after claims of the tanks' "too much complexity" and "maintenance difficulties" when used directly on the battlefield. After that, the German government, which had been hesitating for a long time, agreed to conclude an alliance to supply Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks.

At the end of April, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that NATO allies and partners provided Ukraine with 1550 armored vehicles and 230 tanks.

The head of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny previously stated that in order to liberate Ukraine from the occupiers - up to the borders by February 23, 2022, Kyiv needs "300 tanks, 600-700 BMPs, 500 howitzers."

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