Ukraine will receive M1 Abrams tanks for counteroffensive, says US

Ukraine volition "soon" person M1 Abrams tanks from the United States arsenic Kyiv's forces marque "steady" advancement successful a counter-offensive against Moscow's troops, the US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said connected Tuesday.

Washington had promised the tanks to Kyiv astatine the opening of the year, portion of much than $43 cardinal successful information assistance pledged by the United States since Russia invaded Ukraine successful February 2022.

"I'm... pleased to denote that the M1 Abrams tanks that the United States had antecedently committed to volition beryllium entering Ukraine soon," Austin said astatine the opening of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group successful Germany.

The tanks volition beryllium paired with 120mm armour-piercing depleted uranium rounds that were announced earlier this month.

Such munitions are arguable owed to their relation with wellness problems, specified arsenic crab and commencement defects, successful areas wherever they were utilized successful past conflicts though they person not been definitively proven to person caused specified issues.

Ukraine is battling Russian troops successful a slow-moving counter-offensive that it launched successful June, which has tally into dense defences.

Austin said the counter-offensive "continues to marque dependable guardant progress.

"And brave Ukrainian troops are breaking done the heavy fortified lines of Russia's service of aggression."

The US defence main besides welcomed caller Ukrainian defence curate Rustem Umerov, who was appointed earlier this period successful a important alteration for Kyiv, pursuing corruption scandals astatine the ministry.

A elder US defence authoritative said the gathering was an accidental "to perceive from curate Umerov himself what his imaginativeness is, what his precedence is".

"Democracies similar Ukraine have... turnover successful enactment each the time," the authoritative said, adding: "We bash expect continuity (from Kyiv)."

US officials person spearheaded the propulsion for planetary enactment for Ukraine, rapidly forging a conjugation to backmost Kyiv aft Russia invaded and coordinating assistance from dozens of countries done near-monthly Contact Group meetings.

Ukraine's supporters person besides provided grooming to Kyiv's troops, portion the United States and different countries person imposed pugnacious sanctions connected Russia.

The targets of the sanctions see fiscal institutions, exertion imports and vigor exports.