U.S. officials said on the 1st (local time) that the U.S. will transport Soviet-made tanks to bolster the defense of Ukrainian troops stationed in the Donbas region of Ukraine.
According to the New York Times (NYT), an official said today that the Joe Biden administration is close to final negotiations with its allies to transport Soviet-made tanks.
“These actions by the United States are at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky,” he added.
This is the first time the US has helped transport tanks in the Ukraine war. The U.S. decided to implement these measures in consideration of the Ukrainian military’s proficiency in handling Soviet tanks.
A U.S. official said, “We expect shipments to begin soon, but we cannot disclose the number of tanks or the countries to which they will be shipped.”
The official, who requested anonymity, said the tanks to be transported by the U.S. would enable Ukrainian forces to launch long-range artillery fire on Russian targets in Donbas.
The New York Times analyzed that the U.S. action might lead to a new phase in the Ukrainian war if tanks arrive.
At the same time, Russia announced earlier this week that it would focus on occupying the Donbas region, which has been fighting between separatists and Ukrainian forces since 2014.
President Zelensky said on the 27th of last month that NATO allies would provide tanks and aircraft.
In this regard, he said, “Please send at least 1% of the tanks and fighters that NATO has. We have been waiting for this for the 31st day.”
He added, “I hope that those who have been thinking regarding sending jets and tanks for the 31st day have at least 1% of the courage of the military to defend Mariupol.”
The Biden administration has been calling the weapons it has been providing to Ukraine ‘for defense’ since the beginning of the war. The US mainly supports the Ukrainian military with weapons that are easy to carry or handle.
However, it is interpreted that the US is taking a more flexible movement in terms of the definition of defense as the war continues and the Russian military has recently made moves to strengthen its military, such as sending in mercenaries.
Meanwhile, according to military analysis site Orix, Ukrainian forces have captured more than 161 tanks from Russian forces. Meanwhile, the Russians captured 43 Ukrainian tanks.
(Seoul = News 1)
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