08:10 PM
Wednesday, January 25, 2023
Washington – (dpa)
US President Joe Biden has stated that the 31 M1 Abrams combat tanks that the United States will send to Ukraine will help Kyiv regain areas controlled by Russian forces, but that Moscow should not see them as an “offensive threat.”
“That’s all there is to it, helping Ukraine defend and protect its territory,” Biden told reporters. “It’s not an offensive threat to Russia, there’s no offensive threat against Russia.”
Biden acknowledged that sending American tanks to Ukraine could take a long time.
He added, “It will take time to deliver these tanks to the field. It is the time that we will see and make sure that the Ukrainians are fully prepared.”
Biden’s announcement on Wednesday that it will send tanks to Ukraine marks a major shift for his administration, which has repeatedly said it has no plans to send tanks.
