Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials insisted their forces need more modern Western-designed tanks.

Ukraine’s supporters have supplied tanks in the past, but those were Soviet models in the stockpiles of countries that once were in Moscow’s sphere of influence but are now aligned with the West.

All five leaders agreed to continue military support to Ukraine in close Euro-Atlantic coordination.Īltogether, France, the U.K., the U.S., Poland, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden will send hundreds of tanks and heavy armored vehicles to fortify Ukraine as it attempts to break through entrenched Russian lines. Scholz spoke by phone Wednesday with Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, the German chancellery said in a statement. The Abrams tanks can hit a moving target up to 2,000 meters (1.25 miles) away while rolling across rough terrain, he said. Army veteran and senior historian with the Rand think tank, said the M1 Abrams and the Leopards will give Ukraine a “mechanized armored punching force.” “The main problem we have with our tanks is they are old,” he said.Įxpressing a preference for the Leopard 2, which he said was more suitable for Ukraine’s terrain, Syrotiuk said the modern tanks had more precise targeting systems, better armor and equipment to allow nighttime operations. Ukrainian forces have had to preserve ammunition and deal with frequent breakdowns and maintenance issues, Syrotiuk said.

He spoke to the AP by phone earlier this week from near the Bakhmut front. “Without the new tanks, we cannot win this war,” said Maksim Butolin, chief sergeant of the 54th Brigade’s Tank Division. With an expected springtime Russian offensive looming, the tanks will also enable Ukraine’s forces to launch new offensives and curb casualties, three military commanders, including two in the army’s tank division, told The Associated Press.

Modern day tank battles