JRL NEWSWATCH: “U.S. Abrams Tanks Reach Ukraine. Is It a Case of Too Little, Too Late?” – WSJ
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“The first U.S.-made M1 Abrams tanks have arrived in Ukraine … Zelensky said … Monday. The questions … are how quickly can they enter the fight and how much impact will they have on a shifting battlefield. Advanced Western-made tanks and other armored vehicles have become a focus in debates between Ukrain[e] … and … the Pentagon, [with] some [U.S. military] … want[ing] Kyiv to use the equipment more aggressively …. Ukrainian military leaders … faced setbacks because of Russian minefields and aerial attacks … [and] shifted to a more gradual approach that has drawn [some Western] criticism …. [T]he Abrams, … among the world’s most sophisticated [tanks], have some technical advantages that could make them more useful to Ukraine than its other Western tanks. …”
The arrival of the tanks also could boost Ukrainian military morale.
Near the beginning of the year, the United States had pledged 31 Abrams tanks, and Ukrainian troops have been training on them since spring. About the same time, European allies pledged German Leopard 2 tanks, which Ukraine has had for months now.
The United States also has approved the transfer of F-16s, which could be deployed in battle by winter.
Last week, Biden promised Zelensky that a small number of longer ranger, ground-launched tactical ATACMS missiles would be provided.