In a press conference, Undersecretary for Press at the US Department of Defense Sabrina Singh pointed out technical reasons that distinguish main battle tanks.
According to the American director, the Abrams “is a tank that requires aviation fuel, while the Leopard and Challenger [blindados britânicos que vão para a Ucrânia] have a different engine, need ‘diesel’, are a bit easier to maintain”.
German and British tanks can maneuver over “large swaths of land” before needing supplies.
“The high cost of maintaining an Abrams makes it pointless to make it available to Ukrainians at this point,” Singh said.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is visiting Germany where he today met his German counterpart Boris Pistorius.
The new minister, who took office on Tuesday and replaced Christine Lambrecht, who has been the target of several controversies including the delivery of Leopard 2, said Germany would continue to support Ukraine but did not refer to the anticar fight issue.
Austin is expected to attend a meeting of Ukraine’s contact group with other allies at the US air base in Ramstein on Friday, and the debate should focus on the issue of the Leopard 2 that Ukraine has requested.
According to the German press, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has raised the issue with United States President Joe Biden, but only committed to sending the Leopard 2 if US authorities would do the same with the Abrams tanks.
Today, Sabrina Singh reminded that the United States has already supplied Ukraine with Bradley tanks and will continue to send military equipment to the Kyiv Armed Forces.
Bradleys are main battle tanks with lighter armor and a smaller gun, typically 25mm compared to the 120mm Abrams.
Singh also hinted that his country would soon announce a new military aid package for Ukraine, but gave no details.
Germany was under intense pressure from several of its allies to supply Kyiv with Leopard 2 tanks, having already supplied Gepard armored vehicles (hightech German antiaircraft fighting vehicles) and committed to sending Marder (infantry vehicles). fighter planes from Germany used in the Cold War), while on Monday it started bringing batteries of the Patriot system to Poland.
Britain has already pledged 14 Challenger 2 heavy tanks and 600 Brimstone missiles, and Poland says it is ready to send 14 Germanmade Leopard 2 tanks if Berlin allows them to be sent to Ukraine.
Pressure has mounted on Chancellor Olaf Scholz to give the green light for the release of the Leopard 2 tanks, available to several NATO armies, and to be sent onto Ukrainian soil.
The US Secretary of Defense defended with Pistorius that “these are turbulent times for European and global security, a consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine”, adding: “Germany has been a true friend of the United States and defender of our allies. We will continue to support the Ukrainian people in their resistance to Russian aggression and in the defense of their territory”.
Austin also did not address the controversy surrounding the shipment of heavy equipment to Ukraine and adjourned the matter to Friday’s meeting.
“In Ramstein we will meet with members of the Contact Group on Ukraine and renew our common support for their selfdefense,” he added.
The military offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 has so far caused the flight of more than 14 million people 6.5 million internally displaced and almost eight million to European countries according to the latest data from the UN, which classifies this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (19391945).
Currently, 17.7 million Ukrainians are in need of humanitarian assistance and 9.3 million are in need of food and shelter.
The Russian invasion justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin with the need to “deNazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security was generally condemned by the international community, which responded by sending arms into Ukraine and Russia politically and politically imposed economic sanctions.
The UN has confirmed 7,031 civilian deaths and 11,327 wounded since the beginning of the war, underscoring that these figures are far below the actual figures.
Also read: Portugal is waiting for the “OK” from Germany to deliver tanks to Ukraine
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