Blinken plan: NBC talks about how Biden made a historic decision on Abrams tanks
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On January 25, US President Joe Biden announced the historic decision to provide Ukraine with Abrams tanks. However, the fact that this equipment will be provided to Ukraine became known only 48 hours before the announcement of the American leader.
At first, Joe Biden was against such a decision. However, the US President changed his position after Secretary of State Anthony Blinken presented a plan to resolve the conflict between Washington and European allies, including Germany.
Abrams for Leopard
Anthony Blinken's plan was approved by Joe Biden on January 23. The essence of the plan was to announce the provision of Abrams tanks to provide a kind of cover for Germany, which had a clear position regarding the provision of Leopard tanks to Ukraine – only after Washington. The plan, which US officials told the publication on condition of anonymity, has an interesting detail – it takes months, if not a year, for the delivery of Abrams tanks, so the decision was made in fact to ensure that Ukraine received Leopard tanks.
Some military officials were taken by surprise by Biden's decision. Media sources said that this is the second time this has happened in a month – for the first time, the military was surprised by the decision to provide Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine. The interlocutors noted that discussions about the expediency of this decision went on after its announcement.
One of the officials noted that German tanks “make more sense” than American ones – they are easier to maintain and can arrive in Ukraine sooner. Therefore, we can conclude that Biden's decision is a demonstration of the unity of the US and Europe and an incentive for Germany.
The reaction of US officials
Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan, the State Department and the Pentagon declined to comment to reporters. However, after the publication of the material, a senior defense official said that the position of Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and the head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, regarding Abrams tanks for Ukraine has not changed. That is, they may still doubt the effectiveness of American tanks in Ukraine.
However, at the same time, the same official noted that for both Austin and Milley, the priorities are US capabilities regarding long-term support for Ukraine and transatlantic unity, therefore, by announcing the provision of tanks, the Allies demonstrated collective unity and can see if the Ukrainians will master Western tanks and be able to use them effectively. .
By the way, Lloyd Austin expressed his doubts about the advisability of providing American tanks to Ukraine during a meeting in the Ramstein format in Germany on January 21. At the same time, the partners did not agree on tanks. Probably, it was the reluctance of the United States to provide its tanks and the clear position of Berlin that gave just such a result.
However, after the announcement of assistance packages, including tanks from Berlin and Washington, a tank coalition formed in the world. The United States provides Ukraine with 31 M1A2 Abrams tanks. At the same time, Germany provides 14 Leopard tanks and allows partners to provide us with their tanks. Ukraine will receive:
- 14 tanks from Poland;
- 8 tanks from Norway;
- 4 tanks each from Canada and Portugal.
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Spain has said they can provide 53 tanks, but not all of them are serviceable right now, so Madrid is considering refitting. The Netherlands is considering buying 18 tanks leased from Germany to provide to Ukraine. The number of tanks that Finland and Denmark can provide is still unknown.
In addition, the UK is providing its Challenger 2 tanks. Ukraine will send 14 units. Readiness to provide 30 T-72 tanks was expressed by Slovakia.
