(Reuters) – The Kremlin said on Wednesday that any Abrams battle tank supplied to Ukraine by the United States will “burn,” calling the expected delivery an expensive folly.
U.S. officials told Reuters on Tuesday that Washington was about to send dozens of its M1 Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine, reversing its earlier position.
Speaking at a daily briefing with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that while the Abrams shipments are unconfirmed, they will be a waste of money.
“I am sure that many experts understand the absurdity of this idea. The plan is disastrous in terms of technology,” he said.
“But above all, it overestimates the potential it will add to the Ukrainian army. These tanks burn like all the others,” he added.
For months Kiev has been asking for Western tanks that it says it desperately needs to give its forces the firepower and mobility to break through Russian defensive lines and recapture occupied territory in the east and south.
Germany agrees to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine, allies must follow
Germany said Wednesday it will supply its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, resolving doubts about sending heavy weaponry that Kiev considers crucial to defeating the Russian invasion but that Moscow says is an unnecessary provocation.
For weeks the government of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been under pressure to send the tanks and allow other NATO allies to do the same before expected offensives by both sides.
Scholz’s government had stalled over the decision, wary of measures that could cause Russia to escalate or cause the NATO alliance to become part of the conflict.
Germany’s decision paves the way for other countries such as Poland, Spain, Finland, the Netherlands and Norway to supply some of their Leopard tanks to Ukraine, moving toward delivering the hundreds of tanks Ukraine says it needs.
“Germany will always be at the forefront when it comes to supporting Ukraine,” Scholz told the German parliament amid applause. “Because there really is a war in Europe – not far from here, from Berlin, it is taking place against a great country like Ukraine.
Germany must do everything possible “but at the same time we must prevent the war from turning into a war between Russia and NATO,” Scholz said.
Hoping to allay concerns about sending the weapons, Scholz asked Germans to trust his government to ensure that there is no greater risk to his country and to coordinate measures with allies.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy thanked Scholz for Germany’s “important and timely decisions,” saying they are a “green light for partners to provide similar weapons.”
Germany intends to quickly establish two battalions with Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine and initially supply 14 Leopard 2 tanks from its own inventory.
A battalion typically comprises three to four corps. Poland has also promised 14 tanks and the UK has secured 14 of its Challengers.
Germany’s tanks will probably be ready in three or four months, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said.
Training of Ukrainian troops in Germany will begin soon, and Germany will also provide logistics and ammunition. Germany said it will also issue the appropriate transfer licenses to partner countries that wish to quickly deliver Leopard 2 tanks from their own stockpiles.
Russia has portrayed the heavy weapons deliveries to Ukraine as proof that the West is escalating the war.
The Russian embassy in Berlin accused Germany of making an “extremely dangerous decision” and abandoning its “historical responsibility to Russia” stemming from Nazi crimes in World War II.
The embassy said the tank deliveries will take the conflict to a new level and cause a “permanent escalation.”
*** Translated by the DEFCONPress.FYI Team ***