US senators urge Germany and America to send tanks to Ukraine

Senators 'optimistic' amid US and German reports that tanks could soon be approved

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  Ukraine has received about a dozen American-built Himars multiple rocket launchers and has used them to strike Russian ammunition depots. The Olympian / AP

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  Ukraine is asking western allies to provide it with German Leopard 2 tanks in its war with Russia. EPA

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  Staring down the barrel of a Leopard 2 tank, pictured in Estonia. AP

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  Kyiv is keen to acquire Leopard 2 tanks because they are among Europe's best and widely used, meaning spare parts and ammunition can be easily sourced. AFP

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  The Polish government in January 2023 signed a deal to buy 116 Abrams tanks from the US. AFP

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  Ukraine would also like to have Abrams battle tanks, although they require more crew training and specialised fuel. EPA

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  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on his western allies to speed up military support for his country. AFP

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  British soldiers pictured with a Challenger 2 battle tank in Estonia. The UK is set to give Ukraine 14 Challengers. EPA

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  Britain is also offering Kyiv AS-90 self-propelled guns. EPA

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  These would be part of a package including further armoured vehicles and 600 Brimstone missiles. AP

US senators on Tuesday called on Berlin and Washington to send tanks to help Ukraine fight Russia, as reports on both sides of the Atlantic suggested delivery of the vehicles could soon be approved.

Republican Lindsey Graham and Democrat Richard Blumenthal, who visited Ukraine last week, said the beleaguered nation urgently needed tanks, noting they are “more optimistic today than any [other] time” that western allies would supply them.

“Seldom in the history of modern warfare has so much depended on so few tanks,” Mr Graham said.

Britain has already agreed to send 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine. For months, pressure has been building on the Pentagon to send Abrams M1 tanks and for Germany to provide Leopard 2s.

“The best tank for the fight is the German Leopard tank, and American tanks can be helpful in this regard,” Mr Graham said.

“If we send some Abrams tanks, it will open the floodgates to more tanks coming from allies and German Leopard tanks flowing into Ukraine.”

Several US media outlets on Tuesday cited anonymous sources as saying Washington could announce Abrams deliveries to Ukraine as soon as this week.

Meanwhile in Germany, news outlets said Berlin is set to approve sending Leopards after months of foot-dragging and prevarication.

Defence leaders met at the US airbase in Ramstein, Germany, last week but failed to resolve divisions over providing tanks.

Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Mark Milley, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov in Germany last week. Getty

Ukraine says tanks would give its troops more mobility and protection before an expected new Russian offensive. They could also help Ukraine retake some of the territory that has fallen to Russia.

Because Leopards are made in Germany, Berlin has the final say on how and where they are used — even if other countries are offering to send their own.

Mr Blumenthal argued that Germany's Leopards are “essential” to Ukraine's fight, largely because they are already in Europe.

He added that he understands the criticism that Abrams tanks are too complex and would pose maintenance and logistical challenges to Ukraine's fighters, but that it would open up Kyiv to a greater good.

“The Pentagon ought to come forward with those Abrams tanks if that's what is necessary for the Germans to give permission to our allies to provide the Leopard 2 tanks and for the Germans to provide those tanks themselves,” he said.

Russia said on Tuesday that the delivery of the Leopards would “bring nothing good to the future relationship” between Berlin and Moscow.

“They will leave a lasting mark,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a briefing.

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  Turkeysold its Bayraktar TB2 armed drones to Ukraine. They can fly at an altitude of 7,500 metres and swoop down to attack targets. AFP

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  The US also gave 700 of its Switchblade kamikaze drones. AP

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  Cheap commercial drones like the DJI Mavic series have been modified in Ukraine. AFP

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  Germany will follow the US in providing a Patriot missile defence system, pictured above, to Ukraine. Reuters

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  FIM-92 Stinger rockets have been donated to help Ukrainian infantry engage aircraft and drones. The shoulder-launched missiles can shoot down aircraft. Photo: US Army

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  Germany donated 25 Flakpanzer Gepard all-weather-capable self-propelled anti-aircraft gun. AFP

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  The High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or Himars, can simultaneously launch several precision-guided missiles. The US has given Ukraine projectiles with a range of about 130 kilometres. EPA

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  M777 howitzers and about 300,000 shells have been donated to give Ukraine an accurate artillery platform with a range of 50 kilometres. EPA

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  Ukraine has been sent at least 5,000 of the anti-tank weapons known as NLAWs. These shoulder-launched rockets have proved deadly in the field. PA

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  Ukrainian troops have also received thousands of Javelin anti-tank missiles. Bloomberg

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  Poland and the Czech Republic sent Russian-made T72 tanks, which Ukraine has used for decades, to ease integration and cut down training time. EPA

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  France as announced its plan to give AMX-10 RC “scout tanks” to Ukraine. "This is the first time that western-made armoured vehicles are being delivered in support of the Ukrainian army," a French official said. AFP

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  Shortly after the French, the US said it would send Bradley fighting vehicles to provide "a level of firepower and armour that would bring advantages on the battlefield”. Reuters

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  The UK sent their phased-out Saxon armoured vehicles. They found new life protecting infantry units in transit and dealing with tough off-road conditions. Getty Images

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  Denmark has supplied Harpoon anti-ship launchers to help Ukraine defend its coasts. AFP

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  The US sent 20 Soviet and Russian made Mi-17 helicopters to Ukraine that had initially been bought for the Afghan government in 2010. AP

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  Germany has also supplied its latest version of the IRIS-T air defence system designed to shoot down missiles at altitudes up to 20 kilometres. Getty Images

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  Ukraine has also been given thousands of small arms, bullet proof vests, medical kits, litres of fuel, granades and other weapons systems. Reuters