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The Biden administration is moving closer to sending M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, a move that would provide diplomatic cover for Germany to send its own Leopard tanks and approve delivery from other nations.
A US announcement could come as soon as this week.
US officials have repeatedly said that the sophisticated Abrams, which consumes a lot of fuel and needs extensive training, would not be suitable for Ukrainian forces.
But the decision would close a gap between the United States, Germany and other European nations over how far to go to arm Ukraine ahead of what is believed to be a key phase of the war, as Vladimir Putin plans a major spring offensive.
The Biden administration is moving closer to sending M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, according to the Wall Street Journal, a move that would provide diplomatic cover for Germany to send its own Leopard tanks and approve delivery from other nations.
President Volodmyr Zelensky has repeatedly called for tanks as the next phase of the war in Ukraine looms, but President Joe Biden has taken a cautious approach.
Last week the UK announced it would be sending Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, but that didn’t spur the US or Germany to immediately follow suit.
German officials are said to be concerned by the sight of their tanks operating near the Russian border, with echoes of the Nazi advance during World War II.
Meanwhile, European diplomatic sources have frequently expressed frustration with President Joe Biden’s cautious approach, which they say pays too much attention to threats of escalation from Russia.
The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that that appeared to change after a January 17 call between Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in which the US president agreed to consider supplying Abrams.
A senior German official said the dispute seemed close to being resolved.
At the same time, Poland officially requested permission Tuesday morning from Germany to supply Leopard 2 tanks to the war effort.
Ukrainian soldiers ride on an infantry fighting vehicle during offensive and assault drills in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia.
A soldier fires an RPG-7 anti-tank grenade launcher during exercises earlier this week.
German exports of their tank require Berlin to give their approval before they can be re-exported.
In the midst of these events, Russia further increased the tension.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said “these renditions will not bring anything good to the future relationship” between Berlin and Moscow, adding: “They will leave a lasting mark.”
It comes as Ukraine’s gains late last year stalled with the front static for the past two months.
Ukraine says the tanks are crucial to the next phase of the war, giving its ground troops the protection and firepower to advance.
“We need tanks, not 10-20, but several hundred,” President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak wrote on Telegram.
“Our goal is to (restore) the 1991 borders and punish the enemy, who will pay for his crimes.”
This year, some allies have started talking openly about defeating Russia, rather than a negotiated settlement.
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly took the message to Washington last week when he said Putin was more vulnerable than ever.
Last week the UK said it would send Challenger 2 tanks (pictured above) to Ukraine.
“Until recently, their attacks on civilian infrastructure have been carried out with cruise missiles,” he told the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.
Now it’s using ballistic missiles to do the same thing, much, much, much more expensive.
He’s clearly doing it because he’s running out of other ammunition.
“So this is the time, if we want to bring this to a successful conclusion, and of course we should and do, we should try to bring it to a conclusion quickly.
“The bottom line has to be a Ukrainian victory and that therefore dictates that we need to step up our support at this time, while Russia has been on the defensive, to give the Ukrainians the tools they need to get the job done.” .’
Last week, discussions over the delivery of weapons from the West took place at the Ramstein airbase in southern Germany, but Scholz stood his ground.
German defense group Rheinmetall said it could deliver 29 Leopard 2A4 tanks by April/May and another 22 of the same model in late 2023 or early 2024, if Scholz gives the order.
It could also supply 88 older Leopard 1 tanks, a spokesman said.