White House ‘leaning toward’ sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine : report

America’s main battle tank may be facing off against Russian armor soon.

The Biden administration is “leaning toward” sending M1 Abrams tanks to the Ukrainian armed forces as part of a deal to break an impasse among Kyiv’s Western allies, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

The delivery of a “significant” number of M1s would be announced alongside a pledge by Germany and Poland to send their own German-made Leopard 2 tanks, the paper reported.

A formal announcement could come later this week.

Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder refused to answer numerous questions about the report, saying he had “nothing to announce today.”

“When it comes to the medium and long-term defense of Ukraine, we’re going to keep all options on the table,” he told reporters.

The inclusion of American armor could break the deadlock between Poland and Germany over providing tanks to Ukraine before an expected springtime offensive by Russian forces.

The tank deal would come less than a week after German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius denied reports Thursday that Berlin was holding out for the US to send M1s before contributing its Leopard tanks.

Similarly, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday denied rumors that the US would consider sending Ukraine a small number of Abrams tanks to encourage Germany to send Leopards, adding that Washington does not send materiel as diplomatic ploys.

“We don’t do things or employ capabilities as a notion, you know, for anything other than providing credible combat capability,” he said. “And that’s where our focus will be in the future.”

Still, Austin and other senior US officials lobbied Germany last week to send tanks to assist Ukraine’s forces before the fighting ramps up again.

“We have a window of opportunity here, you know, between now and the spring … whenever they commence their operation,” Austin said. “And that’s not a long time. And we have to pull together the right capabilities.”

Ukraine, which largely relies on the same arsenal of modified Soviet-era tanks as its Russian foes, has requested NATO-made fighting vehicles for months.

To date, only the UK has pledged so-called main battle tanks to Kyiv, agreeing in principle to provide 14 of its Challenger 2 tanks.

The US has committed to giving Ukraine M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles — armored, tracked personnel carriers with a turret-mounted cannon — but despite their tank-like appearance, the nimble Bradleys lack the firepower of a true battle tank.

The new interest in sending American tanks is an about face from the Pentagon’s stance last week when it expressed reluctance to send the M1 Abrams to Ukraine, citing the tank’s unique maintenance challenges. 

Unlike the Leopard II and Challenger II, which use diesel engines, the American-made Abrams uses a gas-turbine engine that runs on jet fuel.

Deputy Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh on Thursday said sending M1s was not practical “at this time” because the different engine made the tank much harder to maintain. 

“The Abrams are more of a sustainment issue,” she said. 

Further, Ukrainian forces would require training on the US tanks, though that hasn’t stopped the Pentagon from sending other systems previously unfamiliar to Kyiv’s troops, such as M777 howitzers and Patriot batteries.

The US has sent roughly $26.7 billion in military aid to Ukraine, both from its own stock and through weapons purchased with congressionally approved funds, since Russia’s invasion began Feb. 24, 2022.