officials said opposition within the Biden administration to sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine is not due to concerns Russia would see the move as escalatory.īoris Pistorius, the new German defense minister, similarly denied that Germany’s hesitancy is based on concerns about Russian retaliation. Abrams tank at the training grounds in Nowa Deba, Poland, on Sept. official said, and the armor provides protection from Russian attacks. “These provide strategic flexibility while being able to move troops around the battlefield,” the U.S. Instead of Abrams tanks, Milley and Austin have advocated to send armored vehicles, including Strykers, Bradleys, MRAPs and others. officials have been stressing privately, saying the Abrams tanks are “very expensive to operate, very expensive to fuel, very expensive to maintain, and a lot of training.” We’re not going to have anything additional to provide.”Ī spokesperson for the National Security Council echoed some of the concerns U.S. Patrick Ryder declined to comment on Austin and Milley’s views on the matter, saying in a statement that their comments at Ramstein Air Base in Germany about U.S. On Friday, Pentagon press secretary Brig. officials also noted that Ukraine already has hundreds of tanks at its disposal and over the past year has captured hundreds of Russian tanks on the battlefield and added those to its inventory. Wojtek Radwanski / AFP - Getty Images file A Polish Leopard tank takes part in a military exercise in Nowogard, Poland, on May 19, 2022.

official said Austin has argued the training to operate and maintain the tanks would take months, and even though the Ukrainians have proven adept at learning many new platforms, he continues to resist sending the Abrams. They also have argued they are not the right vehicles for the fight in Ukraine right now, according to the officials. Milley and Austin have cited how long it takes to train personnel to operate the tanks and how difficult the tanks are to maintain.

Most modern abrams tank