More US military aid headed to Ukraine, but not tanks & More Trending News

The Biden administration will announce as early as Friday one other enormous military aid package deal for Ukraine totaling $2.5 billion that can embrace shut to 150 extra armored automobiles, but not the tanks that Ukraine has been requesting, in accordance to U.S. officers.

The U.S. believes its fundamental battle tanks are not suited to Ukraine’s combat towards Russia, but it is efforts to have Germany permit its Leopard 2 tanks to be transferred to Ukraine have not been profitable to date.

In current weeks, the United States and different nations have dedicated lots of of armored automobiles to the following part within the battle in Ukraine that come springtime may see makes an attempt to launch counteroffensives to break the stand-off in japanese Ukraine.

Multiple U.S. officers inform ABC News that the brand new $2.5 billion aid package deal will embrace shut to 100 Stryker armored automobiles and as many as 50 extra Bradley infantry combating automobiles.

Strykers are eight-wheeled armored automobiles that may carry as many as 11 troopers inside and are outfitted with a machine gun or grenade launcher that’s remotely fired from contained in the automobile.

“They are lighter, faster, and have a longer range than the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, said Mick Mulroy, an ABC News contributor and former deputy assistant defense secretary who began his military career as a tank crew member. “The Stryker can also be wheeled, which could be constructive in coping with the muddy situations that can doubtless exist within the spring.”

Just two weeks ago, the U.S. announced it was sending 50 Bradley fighting vehicles, 100 older M-113 armored personnel carriers, and 55 mine resistant vehicles. The transfer of those vehicles coincided with announcements by France and Germany that they, too, would be sending armored vehicles to Ukraine.

But Ukraine has also been asking for western tanks to make up for losses of its Russian-made tanks and while the United Kingdom announced earlier this week that it would send up to 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine.

However, the Pentagon has resisted calls to provide the M1 Abrams tank, with officials noting it will not meet Ukraine’s need for main battle tanks because it is too cumbersome and will require a major maintenance effort.

Instead, the U.S. has lobbied Germany to send its own Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine or allow other countries that field the tank to send them to Ukraine. There are close to 2,000 Leopard 2s in the inventories of a dozen NATO militaries making them readily available for the fight in Ukraine.

But while Poland and Finland have said they would provide Ukraine with their German-made tanks, sales agreements with Germany prohibit their transfer to Ukraine without Germany’s consent.

As part of the effort to allow that to happen, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was in Berlin on Thursday meeting with German defense officials ahead of Friday’s meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group at Ramstein AFB in Germany.

Friday’s meetings among the 48 or so countries providing military assistance to Ukraine will focus on meeting Ukraine’s requests for more armor and air defense systems.

There was no indication as to whether Austin was successful in convincing German officials who have reportedly said they will only commit to sending Leopard 2s unless the U.S. commits to sending its own Abrams tanks.

On Wednesday, Colin Kahl, the Pentagon’s top policy official, told reporters that recent U.S. military aid packages for Ukraine have been intended to give Ukraine the additional armor it needs for next phase of the war as it attempts to overcome Russia’s newly built defensive lines in eastern Ukraine.

“I think what we’re trying to look at is the mix of armored and mechanized forces that make sense and by make sense, it’s a complicated equation” of training and maintaining the equipment which he explained is one reason why the Abrams tank is not suited for the upcoming fight.

“I simply do not suppose we’re there but,” Kahl said of providing the tank to Ukraine. “One of the things that Secretary Austin has been very focused on is that you should not be providing the Ukrainians systems they can’t repair, they can’t sustain and that over the long term can’t afford, because it’s not helpful.”

Kahl added that “the Abrams tank is a really sophisticated piece of apparatus. It’s costly. It’s laborious to practice on. It has a jet engine” and gets only three miles to the gallon, which apparently makes the Leopard 2 a better fit to replace Ukraine’s Russian-made tanks.

But Kahl downplayed the notion that all is riding on whatever decision Germany makes.

“I think we should give Germany an enormous amount of credit for their generosity toward Ukraine,” said Kahl. ” If there was a priority about being alone in offering this functionality, that shouldn’t be a priority. But on the finish of the day, you realize, the German authorities goes to make a sovereign choice.”

Which western nation finally ends up offering tanks to Ukraine does not matter to Mulroy who pressured that they are going to be a game-changer within the subsequent part of the battle which is quickly nearing one 12 months since Russia’s invasion.

“NATO and the U.S. were correct to be measured in deciding what advanced weapons system to provide Ukraine over concern of escalating this into a war between Russia and NATO, but it is time for these potentially game-changing tanks to be provided to the Ukrainian Army, in enough numbers (likely at least 500) to make a significant difference,” said Mulroy.